AHMEDABAD: Be it a decade-old murder case of Umbergaon in Gujarat or two-year-old murder mystery of Durg in Chhattisgarh, when the conventional investigation methods fail or cops cannot link the suspect with the crime, what’s left is to take help of the semi-conscious mind to unravel the mystery.
Directorate of Forensic Sciences (DFS) in Gandhinagar has performed 42 narco-analysis tests in the first six months of 2017 against the annual average of 60 tests. The months of May and June were particularly busy with 19 scheduled tests.
While the test results are not admissible in court as direct evidence, the narco test — a forensic psychology method to glean information from suspects or victims about crime after sedating them — has remained a go-to solution to search for evidences or corroborate information already known to the investigating agencies.
“While most of the tests are conducted in relation to cold cases of murder, there is also a growing trend of cases related to human trafficking and abduction. Major states approaching DFS for the narco analysis include Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In many cases, the court orders for the test specify the tests to be conducted at DFS,” said a DFS official.
The official added that while the number of cases is smaller, it’s observed that the investigators bring in more than one person related to the case under investigation to get multiple view of the same subject. Sometimes, the appointed test is not conducted when the person refuses to undergo the test or is found medically unfit.
This year, the narco test results were instrumental in solving crimes or providing new clues in cases such as rape and murder case at Chhattisgarh, disappearance of a woman along with her child registered with Delhi police, a murder mystery of Delhi where the identity of the victim was under question and a murder case from Gujarat.
Parth Shastri Archive 