Maharashtra expands mobile forensic lab fleet to 59 to speed up crime detection

Mumbai, Sep 13 (PTI) In an attempt to strengthen scientific investigation into crimes and speed up detection, the Maharashtra government has expanded its fleet of mobile forensic laboratories from 21 to 59 across the state, an official said on Saturday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the country's first set of 21 mobile forensic vans on January 27, making Maharashtra the pioneer state in the field.

With the expansion, mobile forensic units are now deployed in key urban centres and at divisional and district police offices.

In Mumbai, vans have been stationed at Chembur (East region), Bandra (West), Kandivali (North), Byculla (Central), and Nagpada (South), and one at the Railway Commissionerate.

Similar facilities have been made available in Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati and other districts, taking the total count to 59.

As per an official release issued on Friday, these vehicles are equipped with advanced bio-chemical, chemical, biological, physical and digital forensic tools that enable evidence collection directly from crime scenes, reducing dependence on eyewitness accounts and preliminary testimony.

The Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSL) stated that the vans were deployed for multiple cases, helping collect 3,432 pieces of evidence statewide.

According to officials, the initiative has brought transparency in evidence collection and accelerated the process of establishing criminal culpability.

The state police are facing new challenges as the nature of crime changes every day, and criminals use new methods, which complicate investigations. To match the evolving crime patterns, the investigative machinery also needed an upgrade, they said.

Earlier, investigation depended largely on eyewitness accounts and primary testimony, with limited use of DNA analysis, making speedy crime detection difficult. With mobile forensic vans, however, it has become possible to collect all types of evidence directly from the crime scene, the release stated. PTI MR ARU