Drawbacks in crime investigation in Nepal

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, August 11

It is well known that there is no room for error in forensic science to deliver justice to the people. However, crime investigation and forensic laboratories in Nepal are full of drawbacks, lacking sensitive technologies and methods.

“The state of crime investigation into the complex situation of cases is at sorry state in the country,” said Dr Hari Har Wosti of Forensic Department at the Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj. “The condition of forensic laboratories is incomplete and useless in terms of analysing the evidences,” he said. “It cannot detect even poison or drugs at all if I send them to test there.”

There are two forensic laboratories–National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) and Police Forensic Laboratory in the country. “Both of them are not updated and nearly functionless compared to the available modern technologies in the field of crime investigation,” said Wosti.

Superintendent of Police Janak Bahadur Singh, chief of the Forensic Laboratory under police department, admitted that lab equipments were not updated as modern technologies. “Chemical (toxicology) division of the lab is not modern and cannot anylise modern drugs and poisons well. But physical and fingerprint divisions work well,” said SP Singh.

According to the police, the evidences of 3,235 criminal cases were analysed in the police lab in the last fiscal year. Among them, 2,715 cases belonged to chemicals, 439 of physical cases and 81 of fingerprint cases. “There is high chance of letting the culprits go scot-free because of the lapses,” said SP.

“Collecting evidences from the field is equally important to investigate into the crime cases,” Singh said. “There must not be contamination and decomposition of the evidences,” he said. “This is not satisfactory in the country due to the lack of experts. There are only few police officials expert on this sector,” he added.

Forensic science, which has shaped the world of justice, fuelling crime investigations and signifying the progress of modern technology, more reliable method to prove innocent or guilty has not been effectively implemented in the field of investigation, said Jiwan Prasad Rijal, special scientist at the NFSL. “In fact, real investigation in crime is yet to carry out in the country,” he added.

Forensic science covers modern computer/clay facial reconstruction, DNA fingerprinting, autopsy techniques, forensic anthropology, toxicology and much more. “The major drawbacks are resources and method of investigation into the criminal cases,” said Rijal. “There is not a single qualified expert in forensic anthropology and cyber crime,” he said.

There are altogether about four dozens of experts in all the streams. “One expert works in upto six fields at a time when it is very objectionable,” said Rijal. “Criminal cases are decided without DNA tests, which may not deliver justice to victim and book the culprits,” he said.

SP Singh said the samples of heinous crimes are sent to India for DNA testing. “It will be possible to test DNA of any kinds in our lab after a few months,” said Rijal.

Dr Wosti said that the investigation based on witness was unscientific. “Witness may not understand the truth fairly and can be influenced with bulk of bucks,” he said. “The court verdicts based on such evidences will not ensure right justice to the people.”

This feature news was published on The Himalayan Times, August 12, 2009.