Ludhiana police forensic van to become more hi-tech

Ludhiana police’s prized possession, a special van equipped with forensic science laboratory (FSL), which has proved its worth by being a prolific tool for cops in solving multiple cases — including blind murders — is up for an upgrade.

Sensing the van’s importance, police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal has asked the FSL team to revamp the vehicle.

The police chief himself examined the van and checked its performance after its successful role in solving the murder case of a four-and-a-half-year-old boy in Daba’s Mukand Singh Nagar on Thursday.

Sub-inspector Jatinder Singh, who is in charge of the FSL van, said they were in process of making an inventory of devices which can be added to the facility and will submit a report to the police chief within a week.

The Ludhiana police had got the FSL van in 2018 and since then, it has become an important tool for the police in solving tricky cases.

Already equipped with modern technology

The sub-inspector said that the van was loaded with chemicals and modern technology imported for investigation of any crime scene.

“We use the van to visit crime spots in the city, including those of burglary, robbery, murder, clashes between groups and sometimes to investigate rape cases,” he added.

“We are fully equipped to collect fingerprints, blood samples, bullets shells, weapons used in the crime and preserving them besides collecting samples for DNA profiling of victims, accused and, at times, remains of the dead,” the van in-charge said.

The team is now looking forward to upgrading the van for testing narcotics on the spot and equipping it cameras for video recording of crime scene and observing the footage later.

The FSL van staff comprise eight police personnel, including the in-charge.

The team members have been trained from the Punjab Police Academy for collecting samples to preserve the evidences.