'Cops, not FSL reports, delaying probe'

Hemant Nagrale, director general of police (legal and technical)

A top Maharashtra police officer on Monday said the police department was often to blame for the delay in investigations into cases and not time taken for the submission of forensic reports connected to them.

Speaking at the inauguration of a mini forensic sciences laboratory in Thane, Director General of Police (Legal and Technical) Hemant Nagrale, who heads the Forensic Science Laboratory mechanism in the state, also pointed out that many a times, FSL reports of cases go missing.

"The police claim investigations are pending due to delay in submission of FSL reports. The police personnel are responsible for delays. Knowingly or unknowingly, (FSL) reports are not presented," he said. Nagrale further said 70 per cent of reports are given to the police department in time and the pending ones made up about 30 per cent of the total.

"Major pendency is on reports that have already been received," he stressed. Pulling up the police department further, Nagrale said, "It has also come to light that many times, reports submitted by the FSL are misplaced. I have a strong feeling this happens due to the connivance of police and the accused."

Nagrale said police would be trained on the procedure to be adopted while retrieving items around a dead body for probe. He said the mini forensic laboratory commissioned will help police from Palghar and Thane districts to speed upcases where forensic help is required.

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