The scientific and forensic way to truth

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Criminals can no longer hope to go scot-free thanks to scientific evidence and investigation. The innocents who are under suspicion can also heave a sigh of relief as they cannot be falsely implicated in a case. But for the availability of scientific investigation facilities, many youths and migrant workers of Perumbavur might have been still under the police scanner in the Jisha murder case.

Even as Jisha’s mother  suspected the involvement of some neighbours in her daughter’s  murder, the police ruled them out  mainly by comparing their DNA profiles with that of the key suspect  which were recovered from the crime scene, including Jisha’s nails and dress. “DNA and fingerprint are considered to be the strongest pieces of scientific evidence in the legal system, while other proofs  like mobile phone location are corroboratory ones,” said leading criminal lawyer V.S. Vineeth Kumar.

Over these years, scientific evidence like fingerprints, DNA and serology analysis are integral part of  the many grave offences, ranging from robberies to  murders.  In the Attingal twin murder case, the chemical examination results confirming that the bloodstains on the dress, baseball stick and machete recovered from the convict Nino Mathew were that of the deceased kid and
her grandmother. Similarly, in the Varkala Salim murder case, the bid of the accused to claim that the mutilated body was not of the NRI businessman could be disproved with the help of DNA profile analysis.

The most crucial aspect of scientific investigation is the collection of evidence from crime scenes.  “Locating the evidence, picking it, preserving and using the right methodology for analysis are the key aspects of forensic investigation so as to get the accurate results,” says FSL former director  Vishnu Potty.

As soon as a grave crime is reported, the police officer concerned will seek the services of the FSL. The district-level FSL units are primarily responsible for scanning the entire crime scene and picking all available evidence and pack them properly. “Any flaws in proper packing of evidence could even affect the results of the scientific analysis,” says Mr. Potty.

While fingerprint analysis has been widely used for crime investigation over the last many decades, DNA profile comparison has been used only over the last few years.  DNA comparison facility was set up at the FSL lab in 2008. Prior to that,  the police used to depend on the facility at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology or other states. In Kerala, DNA comparison was first used in a paternity dispute in Thalasserry.

“Scientific evidence is the ultimate truth which is extracted from pieces of physical evidence that were mute witnesses of a crime. Over 50 percent of investigation into a crime these days would be based on scientific examinations.  The analysis of the scientific examination results by investigation officers is also a key aspect,” a senior IPS officer said. “Apart from helping the investigators to reach the right conclusion, scientific investigation also plugs the chances of innocent persons being framed wrongly in crimes,” he added.

Meanwhile, some police offers often raised concerns over the scientific investigations citing instance of contradiction in results, the latest being the case
of actor Kalabhavan Mani in which there were contradictory test results from various laboratories on the presence of methyl alcohol in his blood. However, experts cite that such contradictions could be due to the change in properties owing  to minor changes in the collection or packing procedures of the respective samples analysed. “A high level of alcohol content reportedly found in Jisha’s blood also needs reconfirmation through further tests,” said a senior police officer.

Forensic and chemical labs extract scientific evidence

 

The state has state-of-the-art scientific examination facilities at the  Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the Chemical Examiners Laboratory (CEL). While the FSL gets involved in all major crime investigations right from the collection of forensic evidence from the crime scene, the CEL is mainly involved in chemical analyses. The forensic science wings of government hospitals also play a key role in the scientific investigation process in conducting autopsies.

The widely-used scientific investigation techniques in the state are analysis of biological materials found at a crime spot, mobile phone analysis to trace the accused using phone calls made as well as to confirm the presence of an accused in a particular locality, document analysis to check whether the documents were tampered with, explosive analysis to determine the type of explosives used in a crime, cyber forensics to unearth evidence from gadgets like computers and ballistic analysis to determine the arms used for a crime.

The state also has  polygraph  facility to determine whether the statement of a person is  true. FSL, an agency attached to the Kerala police, was set up in  Thiruvananthapuram in 1961. It has eleven divisions-- DNA, polygraph, cyber forensics, ballistics, explosives, serology, document, biology, chemistry, physics and civil. The FSL is headed by a director and it has two regional labs and 17 district forensic laboratories.

The FSL is equipped with modern gadgets and the capabilities of the lab were appreciated  by an Italian delegation during the forensic examination of the arms used in the mid-sea firing on fishermen from Italian vessel Enrica Lexie. Two Italian defence officials and ballistic experts, Major Luca Flebus and Major
Paolo Fratini, were present during the tests at FSL.

The CEL took shape from the chemical examination procedures prevailing in the country since the time of the British rule. The present CEL in Thiruvananthapuram was set up in 1969 and regional CELs were later opened in  Kochi and Kozhikode.   Five divisions under CELs are toxicology, serology, excise, narcotic and general chemistry.

Usually,  samples like blood and  liquor are examined by the CEL. In many states,  FSLs and CELs were clubbed. Officials of both the agencies will be crucial witnesses in cases during prosecution, especially when the scientific examination findings are under question.