Forensic Lab to open in Rajshahi

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is going to launch a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory in Rajshahi for examining evidences, detecting crimes and identifying criminals in Rajshahi and Rangpur regions. 

The laboratory has been set up in a four-storey building at Rajshahi Police Lines and Inspector General of Police Mohammad Javed Patwary is expected to inaugurate it on February 3. 

“After inauguration, evidences of cases with Rajshahi and Rangpur metropolitans and ranges police can be tested there. They do not need to come to Dhaka anymore,” said Shaikh Nazmul Alam, deputy inspector general of CID’s Forensic Division.

“Earlier, it took a long time to get laboratory reports and this delayed investigations, and sometimes evidence would be damaged,” said another CID official, adding that the lab will expedite investigations in these regions.  

Initially, a 40-member team, led by an additional superintendent of police, will be deployed at the lab.

The lab in Rajshahi is the third of its kind in the country, with the other two in Dhaka and Chattogram.

CID officials said such labs play a significant role in examining important evidences to solve criminal cases. 

But sending evidences from one division to another requires time, leading to delays. The lab in Rajshahi will reduce hassle, they said. 

“The laboratory is well-equipped with highly specialised and sophisticated equipment of international standards. It is competent to carry out any chemical examination and documentation,” Rumana Akhter, special superintendent of CID’s Forensic Division, told The Daily Star.   

The officials further said there would be a “ballistics section” to examine arms and explosives and separate sections for inspecting forgeries and counterfeit notes. 

A special crime scene unit has been added to the lab to collect evidence from the scene of crime. 

There will also be finger and foot print sections to match prints collected, a handwriting analysis and photography sections to accelerate investigations. 

Its chemical laboratories will help uncover the presence of intoxicants in dead bodies, even those dug up from graves. It can also be used to test explosives or acid to find out how they were made, CID officials said.