Delhi forensic laboratory to soon get 3D imaging scanner

NEW DELHI: Soon, the work of forensic crime teams will become easier and precise as the Forensic Science Laboratory in New Delhi is set to procure a 3D imaging scanner, a technology used by the US law enforcement agency FBI.

According to officials at Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, a 3D imaging scanner can capture even the minutest details of a crime scene.

A 3D scanner analyses a real-world object and the data collected can then be used to create digital models of the object. This, the officials say, can help in understanding the environment of a crime scene with much more accuracy.

"After we will have the 3D imaging scanner, we will place it at a crime scene and a timer of say three minutes will be set. It is a rotating camera that will capture the images of the crime scene and even the measurements of the room, the distance of the body from the various points in the room," said an official of the FSL, Rohini.

For instance, if someone claims they did not hear any suspicious sound when a crime — say a murder — was committed since they were in the other room, the 3D scanner would even help investigators ascertain if the person was lying or not, he explained.

The officer added, the 3D scanner can capture the distance between two walls of adjacent rooms.

He said they are in the final stages of the tender process and soon they will get the modern technology.

The official also claimed that the Rohini centre would be the first agency in India to have a 3D camera scanner.

"The FBI uses this technology. A 3D imaging scanner at the scene of a crime shall facilitate the investigation as well as prosecution to understand the details and evidences available there," he said.

It would be a major asset to provide real-time picture and measurements which shall enable the investigation to proceed scientifically.