Kendrapara, Feb. 10: The crime investigation process has been hit badly with the forensic science laboratory in the district remaining defunct for almost a decade-and-a-half.
Notwithstanding the number of crimes happening over the years, precious little has been done to activate the forensic laboratory. Fourteen years after it was inaugurated with much fanfare, the laboratory is yet to become operational.
The forensic laboratory was inaugurated in 2001. It has remained locked since then.
A scientific officer, photo assistant sub-inspector, fingerprint officer, dog handler, attendant along with a sniffer dog and a mobile forensic unit van are needed for a forensic investigation.
For practical purposes, the district police are dependent of state forensic laboratory in Bhubaneswar for forensic investigation. A fingerprint sub-inspector is all that the police are equipped with to handle major crimes.
Delay in forensic test leads to disappearance of crucial evidence from the spot of crimes. It is no surprise that a number of criminal cases remain unsolved, said a police official.
Citing an instance, the official said an elderly woman from an affluent family was murdered on September 2 last year in Marshaghai police station limits. Five months later, the accused are yet to be identified. Timely on-the-spot forensic test would have gone a long way in solving this crime.
Forensic labs have the key responsibility of reaching crime scenes quickly to collect forensic data. The evidence collected from the scene of crime is crucial not only in hunting down criminals but also presenting a watertight case in court. Thus, forensic science is a vital component in the criminal justice delivery system. However it a matter of deep concern that forensic investigation does not figure in the priority list of state police, said a retired police official, Kumarmani Meher.
Kendrapara superintendent of police Satish Gajaviye said: "The higher-ups have been informed of the defunct state of the forensic laboratory. We are hopeful that the laboratory would begin operation in near future with the required sanctioned posts."
