A search for imprints: Subtle art of reading a crime scene

At 8.05am on a summer morning, assistant sub-inspector Jaswant Singh, a fingerprint expert, received a call at his Dhaula Kuan office: a burglary had been reported in Safdarjung Enclave. Singh, a veteran of over a decade, quickly gathered his team ~ head constables Jitendra Kumar, a photographer, Arun Kumar, a videographer, and fingerprint assistant Mansi Dhawan.

- Hemani Bhandari

Within minutes, a white forensic van rolled out, carrying within it black cases stacked with four kits that carry the delicate instruments of their trade.

The team arrives at the crime scene, an old-style bungalow with cream-coloured walls belonging to the Nigam family, where they meet the investigating officers. The burglars, they are told, had scaled the rear boundary wall, cut open the iron grill of a ground-floor room, and slipped inside. Once in, they locked doors from within, poured oil on the floor to quietly drag a heavy almirah, and escaped with jewellery and cash.

Gloved, Singh, with his decade of experience, was the first to move to the back of the house. Jitendra and Arun followed with their cameras, while Dhawan carried jars of coloured powder and black-feather brushes — used to locate fingerprints on surfaces, if any.

Singh leaned over the air-conditioner’s pale surface. “We use multiple colours and brushes depending on the surface,” he explained. “For this cream-coloured surface of the AC, I will use black powder and a black brush. We have white, fluorescent and other colours in powders and brushes.”

Five minutes of delicate brush strokes later, a faint impression was visible on the AC's surface. Singh slipped on his ultraviolet glasses and shone a UV torch. The ridges sharpened into view. “We now have both rechargeable and electricity-run UV torches. These help us see prints clearly,” he said.

Evolution of the fingerprint bureau