Shabor Dasgupta, Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s no-nonsense police officer, currently solving a murder mystery in the film Ebar Shobor, actually holds up a mirror to police detectives in many a way.
For one, they try to remain as low key. “We are trained to blend in,” says an officer of the detective department of Bidhannagar Commissionerate, on condition of anonymity. “We are mostly in plain clothes. You wouldn’t know it if you stood next to us.”
Murder cases are the toughest to crack. “Our starting point is the crime scene,” he says. “We keep an eye out for any habit the culprit might betray. So we look for cigarette butts or gutkha packets lying around. Also, we try to find if they had drinks as glasses are excellent for lifting finger prints.”
In case of a struggle, any belonging of the suspect might fall out, like a wallet or a pen. “Also important is determining why the victim was at that place at that particular time. For this, we grill the victim’s acquaintances, family members and friends.”
With advance in technology, mobile phones are becoming vital. “We scan the victim’s call and SMS details. Finding out who he spoke to last and questioning him/her gives us leads. The victim’s movements for the last 10 days are also traced by either scanning the tower locations of cell phones or by speaking to his family,” he said.
The weather may go against the criminals. “If it is winter, the murderer is likely to wear closed shoes, which would leave more definite shoeprints than slippers. They could also leave behind a cap or a glove,” he said.
Sometimes, a tendency of bragging gives away the criminals. “People like to boast about a job accomplished so we grill the suspect’s girlfriend, wife or family to see if he told them anything. I was once involved in a case where the murderer had announced his crime to a wide-eyed crowd in a tea-stall,” the source said. The victim too might have confided in someone about receiving threats before his death.
Contract killers leave behind clues. “Being professionals, they sometimes get over-confident and kill in daylight, when they can get caught by surveillance cameras.” Sniffer dogs too contribute but only if the crime scene is left undisturbed.
Many cases are solved on the basis of tip-offs from informers. “This is especially true for thefts, where one thief can help identify another. The phrase ‘thick as thieves’ does not always bear scrutiny,” he smiled.
