Police are pegging their hopes on forensic reports to help unravel the mystery around the death of model-actress Bidushi Dash Barde and to reinforce the probes in the Bandra rape-robbery and Worli chemical attack cases. Their hope is mingled with the fear that, as in the past, a heavy backlog at the sole state-run forensic lab in Mumbai may impede their investigations.
The Kalina-based Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) is reeling under a manpower crunch and has about 30,000 investigations pending. Over 6,000 of these are examinations of viscera samples and about 1,000 of DNA tests. The thousands of samples are from Mumbai alone.
At the state level, more alarmingly, the count of pending viscera tests has crossed 11,000 and of DNA investigations 2,100. Unexamined like these are numerous samples of alcohol wash and narcotics as well as hundreds of cases involving ballistics and fingerprinting. Worst affected, however, are the newly evolving departments like cyber crime and voice analysis, which have pendency so big that the minimum waiting period is said to be at least three years.
Blood samples from actress Barde’s Andheri apartment were sent to FSL a few days after she was found dead in a pool of blood, surrounded by glass shards, on October 22. Early police assumptions of accidental death gave way to suspicions of murder as some of her wounds appeared to have been “inflicted”. Cops admit they are banking on the FSL report to conclude if the former beauty queen’s end was an accident or a killing.
In the Worli attack case, police want to verify the composition of the corrosive chemical short-film producer Jerrit John allegedly flung at physiotherapist Aryanka Hozbetkar.
To build an incontestable case, cops say they have sent articles such as bed sheets found at the Bandra residence of the Spanish woman raped last week by a robber; the DNA collected from these articles will confirm the identity of the accused, Anwar Mohammed Ansari, they have apprehended. FSL says it has not received the items.
A police officer said, “Many times, we have to wait for forensic reports for long. Forensic reports help us create watertight cases. In their absence, our probes get weighed down.”
Insiders say the biggest reason for the delay in examining samples is manpower shortage. All six forensic labes in the state are running with about 60% of the required staff strength. The Mumbai laboratory, which gets the most workload, has 89 vacancies. For newer departments like cyber crime and voice analysis, the major hurdles are getting the right technology and evolving the right procedures. Also, they do not have permanent experts. A source said there are currently 25 experts in these departments but all temporary appointees. “Most people leave as soon as the contract expires. Cyber crime experts need expertise and patience. Solving a case can take months,” said the source. “Many cases are unsolved since an expert’s contract expires mid-way.”
Kalina FSL director M K Malve said attempts are on to work around the vacancies as well as to fill them. He recently sent a proposal to the state, asking for permission to outsource some tests to private labs. “We are yet to hear back.” Malve said that 190 positions in the lab would be filled in a month’s time.
Private laboratories may soon fill the gap
MUMBAI: Many specialists believe that the expertise in state-run forensic laboratories leave much to be desired. While delays have become a norm, the experts in these labs lack the “skill and technical acumen” that is imperative for the job, say those working in the same field.
In most western countries, a DNA sample examination does not take more than two weeks since it has a major bearing on the investigation. Here though, police personnel normally have to wait for one to four months for a report to arrive. It is only in priority cases that a report comes within a month’s time. No wonder then, it is believed that forensic science may be another sector where private players may soon march ahead of the government and cash in on its growing relevance.
Dr Rukmini Krishnamurthy, a former director of Forensic Science Laboratory, said it would be unfair to blame the experts in government labs since they work are under great pressure and constant media glare. “In the west, there are parallel certified private labs that take off much burden from state-owned labs. Private laboratories play a big role in solving cases which are not so heinous,” she said. Dr Krishnamurthy added the trend is catching up in India but establishing credentials and standardisation remain a problem.
Cyber security expert Vijay Mukhi said state labs have a long way to go before they can catch up with complicated cyber crimes. “The government has to invest in expensive software and hardware, which is currently not happening. Experts have to be trained frequently and sent abroad for refresher courses,” he said.
At present, an expert claimed, state labs do not even have the software to verify if a photograph has been morphed. Mukhi added that their meagre budgets do not allow state labs to invest in hard drives that are essential to crack cyber crimes.
Sumitra Deb Roy & Vijay V Singh, Times of India