Moradabad:

A professor from a dental college here has claimed to have devised a cheap technology to identify individual lip prints using vermillion and indigo powder, a development that may prove helpful in criminal investigations.

Narendra Nath Singh, oral pathology professor at Kothiwal Dental College, presented his study at the 4th International Conference on Forensic Research and Technology in Atlanta in 2015.

Singh said that his technology was tested and recognized by leading experts, following which he was hailed by the forensic community.

Speaking with TOI, Singh said that during the criminal identification, print evidence (such as finger and lips prints) is often key to solving a crime. “Also the prints can be used as a DNA source as skins cells can be retrieved from them to double their identifying value.

It has been documented in western forensic sciences that lip prints, either visible or latent, could be developed successfully for study purpose using lysochrome and fluorescent dyes such as Nile red,” he said.

But the professor’s research reveals that the use of vermilion and indigo dyes can also be helpful in the process of the criminal investigation to detect the lip prints samples collected from the crime scenes. According to Singh, the use of vermilion and indigo dyes is much cheaper than other chemicals used in the world for ascertain the lips prints. Vermilion powder is commonly used by married Hindu women on the parting of their hairs.

The result of Nath’s research signify that vermilion and indigo dyes being natural, non-toxic, and cost-effective can replicate the already existing chemical reagents like Sudan Black and Sudan III, which are very costly. “The use of natural dyes for studying lip prints can be a landmark in the field of forensic odontology,” Singh said.

“University of Forensic Science of Ahmedabad, Gujarat has also introduced my latest research into the department of forensic odontology and my lab is continuously providing assistance to the investigating agencies and giving opinions on various samples and specimens collected from the crime scene,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bareilly / by Nazar Abbas / TNN / March 29th, 2016