Exclusive: State FSL wants to go mobile

As the new criminal law mandates forensic investigation for offences that attract imprisonment of seven years and above the state directorate of forensic science laboratory DFSL has floated tenders for firms which would supply mobile forensic vans MFVs forensic kits manpower technology implementation operation and maintenance System integrator is the official jargon for the firms that would deliver the MFVs along with its operation and maintenance to the DFSL The tender floated by the DFSL has sought for 251 MFVs including eight vans that would be advanced and eight delivery vans The last date to submit bids which was on August 26 has now been extended by another five days The bidders have to deposit an earnest money of Rs 5 croreDFSL director incharge Dr Sangeeta Ghumatkar said ldquoOnly once the bid is opened will we know the actual number of participants who have taken part in the bid We hope the turnout of those submitting bids are in good numbersrdquo When asked if the private players would also do analysis Dr Ghumatkar replied in negative A forensic scientist requesting anonymity said ldquoThe mobile forensic van will be visiting the crime scene and will preserve and collect forensic evidence from the crime scene in coordination with the forensic scientists from respective regions mini forensic laboratories etc The analysis and screening of the crime scene materials and viscera will be done only at the DFSL Regional and Mini forensic laboratoriesrdquoDeploymentThe mobile vans would be deployed at all district locations and will be located at the office of the deputy commissioner of police DCP in commissionerate and office of subdivisional police officer SDPO at the district level As soon as an officer at MFV receives a call from the police control room the MFVs would go to the crime scene immediately and collect the evidence and exhibit for analysis and future referencesldquoStrategic deployment of Mobile forensic vans can reach crime scenes quickly allowing for immediate evidence collection and analysis potentially leading to faster case resolutionrdquo stated the tender documentSetting up control roomsSystem Integrator shall set up control rooms in DFSL amp seven regional FSL offices to run the operations viz supply of infrastructure like laptops printer barcode scanner mobile phones for the help desk executives etc Department shall provide to SI the space for setting up of control rooms in DFSL Mumbai and all RFSLsSupply of manpowerThe system integrator would have to hire assistant chemical analyzers scientific assistants cyber and TASI lab assistants and drivers for the MFVs These employees would be working in 12hour shifts Collection of crime scene evidenceSupervised by the FSL experts the system integrator would have to ensure that all the crime scene evidence is collected and record the details of samples collected from sceneDr Rukmini Krishnamurthi former director of state FSL and now a head of a Mumbaibased forensic laboratory said ldquoI am aware of the recent tender floated by DFSL Mumbai It is one of its kind MFVs which will have all types of forensic tools including cyber forensic tools for crime scene study We have not taken part in the bid but have expressed our interest in providing training to the winners of the bid as we have vast forensic expertise in analysing realtime crime scene studiesrdquoIn 2016 Dr Krishnamurthi had procured 45 vans and converted them into mobile forensic vans MFVs and also provided training to the shortlisted staff for MFVs This was done with the assistance of Gujarat Forensic Science Laboratory GFSU which is now the National Forensic Science University NFSU and Helik Forensic Limited for the state police CIDCommenting on the 45 MFVs deployed with the state police Dr Ghumatkar said ldquoThis is the first time we have floated a tender for MFVs and it will be directly under the control of the DFSL Earlier 45 vans were for the state CID and I do not have any information about the samerdquo K Y Kulkarni former director incharge DFSL said ldquoI am sure the 251 MVFs will cover almost every taluka in the state and crucial scientific evidence can be collected and samples sent to the nearest laboratory for analysis Doing so will play a crucial role in crime scene investigation and relying on scientific evidence during trial which will by all means enhance the conviction raterdquoDissenting viewldquoThese advanced MFVs have all forms of kits such as ballistic narcotic explosive cyber forensic kit blood detection kit DNA etc Is it necessary to equip all the MFVs with such specialised and costly kits For instance the offences happening in a city like Mumbai or Pune is far different from rural areas of the state For instance the district of Bhandara has never witnessed any bomb blast They should have ideally opted for customised MFVs which would have been costeffective In 2004 state FSL had first procured eight MFVs and in how many crime scenes were they used The data was never gathered nor anyone including the police bothered to inquire The entire kits and vehicle became obsolete over the period and it was dumpedrdquo said an expertCrime scene managementldquoForensic science begins at the crime scene which is the backbone of the forensic laboratory Certainty of detection of crime through forensic evidence can be a deterrent for further commission of crime Modern Mobile Forensic Technologies have provided forensic scientists with new skills and techniques to meet challenges from Hitech crimesrdquo said Dr KrishnamurthildquoWe have extended the tender date by a week and as and when we finalise the bid the next step would be taken uprdquo said Sanjay Kumar Verma DG Legal and Technical251No of Mobile forensic vans sought by FSLBenefits of the vans as stated in the tender documentRapid Response Strategic deployment of MFVs can reach crime scenes quickly allowing for immediate evidence collection and analysis potentially leading to faster case resolutionOnsite Analysis Advanced mobile vans can perform preliminary analysis onsite providing investigators with valuable insights early in the investigationEvidence Preservation Mobile vans have specialized equipment to collect and preserve evidence in a controlled environmentExpert Availability Trained forensic personnel can be present onsite in the mobile van offering immediate expertise for evidence collection and crime scene management