Delhi to induct 5 forensic vans, 10 more by Feb-end

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[google-translator]

The Delhi Police is all set to induct five mobile forensic vans (MFVs) on February 16, to help investigators solve crimes more scientifically and reduce the response time of forensic units by around a third, officers aware of the development said on Tuesday, adding that 10 more vans will be inducted by the end of the month.

Delhi will be the first state to have such vans, and the move comes around four months after the ministry of home affairs (MHA) directed that a forensic investigation is mandatory in all cases where the punishment provided is of more than six years.

Equipped with all essential tools needed for minute examination and the preservation of evidence, the MFVs have been conceptualised and designed by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) at Gandhinagar in Gujarat, the officers said.

Pooja Ahuja, associate professor at NFSU and the creator of the MFVs, said the vans have been made on the Make in India module. “Delhi is the first state to have such vans. Initially, we will give five MPVs to Delhi, which will be given to Delhi Police by union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday during their 76th Raising Day Parade,” she said.

Ahuja said 10 other states, including Goa, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Ladakh, have also sent orders to NFSU for these vans. “These orders will also be processed soon,” she said.

Police officers said that each van, costing around 50 lakh, will provide uniformity of investigation across the national capital for on-the-spot collection and preliminary testing of evidences in crimes like rape, murder, dacoity, explosion, narcotics, arson and motor accidents.

“After an extensive research of around one and a half years, NFSU has come out with these MFVs which have facilities to document the scene of crimes. Tools like multi-tunable light sources, that have eight different wavelengths, will enhance the detection capability for latent fingerprints, body fluids, hair and fibres. The MFVs will also have stereo microscopes, mini refrigerators, DSLR cameras, gensets and floodlights, besides laptops and front/rear CCTV cameras. The MFVs will help carry out minute biological examinations and proper preservation of exhibits. The most important aspect of these vans is that they will safeguard the sanctity of exhibits,” said a senior officer of the crime branch, asking not to be named.

The officer said the MFVs will help improve the conviction rate with respect to serious crimes committed in the Capital.

“At present, in terms of average crime per year, Delhi has a high number of cases in which the punishment is determined to be six years or more. While the national capital records 4,910 kidnapping, 4,530 thefts, 4,393 cheating and 1,950 rape cases every year, the number of burglary and robbery is 3,110 and 2,096 respectively. These MFVs are going to a gamechanger in terms of both the conviction rate and response time,” the officer said, quoting the latest National Crime Records Bureau figures.

Another officer said that forensic experts and van drivers will be provided by NFSU. “While the initial one-time set-up cost for these vans is approximately 15 crore, the annual recurring cost of the project will be around 10 crore per year,” the officer said.

Hailing the introduction of MFVs in Delhi Police, former Uttar Pradesh director general of police Vikram Singh said these vans will incorporate futuristic tools and kits for scientific investigation of crime scenes. “These vehicles are equipped to collect evidence of all ranges of crime and criminality, which will go a long way in making the evidence fail-proof and fool-proof. I do hope this is a success story that can be replicated in crime-prone states, especially Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

Singh also said that it is a laudable step from the MHA as with the help of such scientific equipment, the police and investigators would not need to cut the sorry figure in the court of law. “Investigations based on scientific lines always result in a high prosecution rate also,” he said.


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