J&K approves purchase of 23 high-tech mobile forensic vans

Jammu: The government of Jammu and Kashmir has accorded sanction to purchase 23 Mobile Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) vans with crime scene processing equipment.
The sanction is subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions: the purchase shall be affected through SMG and no post of the driver shall be created for manning these vehicles. The purchase of vehicles shall be made as per the approval of the MHA, Gol conveyed vide sanction ibid. The purchase shall be made after ascertaining the reasonability of rates as most economical.
A notification in this regard has been issued by the Home Department which reads, “Sanction is hereby accorded to the purchase of 23 Mobile FSL Vans with Crime Scene Processing Equipments for districts at the cost of IRS. 320.00 lacs (Rs. 20.00 lakh each), sanctioned by MHA, Gol vide No. 17012/2/2021-K.II (IV) dated: 10.05.2021, by the Director Forensic Science Laboratory, J&K”.
Elaborating on the issue with The News Now, the Director Forensic Science Laboratory gave a holistic account of the infrastructure carried by these vans to facilitate the investigation process and also aiding the FSL facilities to clinically investigate the crime scene and come up with state of art reports of the crime.
The director also detailed the process of various aspects of the Mobile FSL Vans with Crime Scene Processing Equipments that would aid in yielding clinical results of the crime and help police and investigation agencies to conclude their findings.
A well equipped mobile forensic laboratory with a cyber expert and a forensic expert is to be stationed at every deputy police commissioner /sub divisional police officers office in the UT . The proposal also includes an advanced and advanced software system, a first of its kind in India supporting the mobile forensic vans.
The Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, makes it mandatory for forensic experts to visit crime scenes in offences where the punishment is a prison term of seven years or more.
An attendant, part of the team on the mobile forensics van, will assist in photography and videography at the crime scene. The images will be uploaded to the advanced software system. The team on the van can also seek guidance from the forensic lab's control room.
There are also plans to address backlogs in the Cyber Crime division of state FSL by prioritizing high-impact cases through an automated system which will run 24X7-- a first of kind in India. The Cyber Crime division faces a massive backlog of exhibits, which include mobile devices and hard disks, pending for analysis. A large influx of daily cases leads to significant delays in processing crucial evidence for crimes, he said.