National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science

Background Understanding the complex interplay between emotional intelligence and behaviour patterns among adolescents holds a pivotal role in shaping their developmental trajectories and overall well-being. Adolescence, marked by rapid physical, emotional and cognitive changes, is a critical phase where emotional skills and behavioural tendencies are particularly malleable. Purpose The study investigates the interplay between emotional intelligence and behaviour patterns among adolescents in Gujarat and Maharashtra, India. The research objectives encompassed assessing emotional intelligence levels, exploring gender differences and examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and behaviour patterns. Methods The research design employed ex post facto methodology, collecting data from 740 adolescents across CBSE schools. Validated measures for emotional intelligence and criminal propensity were utilized. Results The results revealed the impact of gender, regions and their interaction on different dimensions of emotional intelligence and criminal propensity. While some dimensions were significantly influenced by these factors, others remained unaffected. The correlation analysis underscored intricate relationships between emotional intelligence dimensions and criminal propensity. Conclusion The study contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of Emotional Intelligence and Behaviour Patterns among adolescents, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and support systems. These findings hold implications for educators, parents and policymakers in fostering Emotional Intelligence development and curbing potential Behavioural concerns among adolescents.

Background Increasing numbers of cyber attacks threaten us personally and professionally. Cyber crimes include obtaining sensitive information (medical or financial) but may extend to organising heinous crimes including murders and aggravated sexual assaults. A major vector of cyber crimes is brute force attacks on secured shell servers. Aim of study This research highlights the prevalence of the intensity of brute force attacks on secured shell servers via quali-quantitative analysis of cyber attacks. Methodology The brute force attacks were recorded over a period of 20 days with the help of logs taken from five dedicated servers installed in a production environment. Results There were a minimum of 6470 and maximum of 22,715 attacks on a server per day. The total number of attacks on all the servers during the study period was 1,065,920. The brute force attacks were mainly targeted at the service network accounts. Conclusion Growth of the field of cyber forensics is the optimal solution to prevent the malicious use of internet services and the commissioning of crimes by this means.

The genesis of DNA biology has been a fundamental point in advancing the knowledge of living beings and their functioning. DNA is the blueprint of life and determines the functional and physical traits of an individual. In recent times, DNA has emerged as an indispensable part of research and applications around the world. Scholars around the world have used the knowledge from DNA to solve mysteries of evolution, heredity, health, and identity. DNA research has found an important role in the field of human identification. DNA-based identification is based on the fact that each individual has about 0.01% of DNA unique to them which can be analysed for identification purposes. The major benefit of DNA-based identification has been to the field of forensic science. Forensic Science employs a range of scientific theories and techniques in the aid of justice. DNA fingerprinting found an important and indispensable role in the field of forensic science (Gill et al. 1985). The role of DNA analysis in the advancement of the criminal justice system is commendable with its applications aiding in faster and more accurate interpretation of evidence, identification and prosecution of criminals in legal cases, and helping resolve disputed paternity cases. DNA-based techniques are used in many aspects of forensic investigation, the science began with incorporating the technique of DNA fingerprinting by Sir Alec Jeffrey for individual identification and later expanded to paternity determination and ancestry determination and in recent research involving tissue identification and DNA-based phenotyping.

The process of ensuring accurate and efficient collection and preservation of physical evidence is known as crime scene management. Incriminating evidence can be strongly supported during criminal investigations by forensic botany. This article aims to show how crucial the role of forensic botany can be at crime scenes. When crime scene and autopsy findings are insufficient to determine the dynamics and mode of death, botanical evidence may come to the rescue. The use of plant studies in legal proceedings is known as forensic botany. In order to piece together evidence that will help solve serious crimes, including the cause of death, kidnapping, and murder, forensic botany uses evidence from plants and plant parts. Various subfields within forensic botany help solve criminal cases. Palynology is the study of pollen grains and spores, which can withstand degradation and can be used to confirm or reject a relationship between individuals, locations, and articles that are the subject of investigation in both criminal and civil cases. Moss shoots are easily attached to clothing and shoes, or even the human body, just as pollen grains, and may be useful to make connections between individuals and crime. DNA barcoding, which involves rapid species identification based on DNA sequences, and dendrochronology, which is the study of tree rings, are also useful as strong evidence. Though forensic botany has grown significantly in importance and is increasingly being applied to investigate crimes, greater awareness of the field and expertise are required. Forensic botany can also be taken up as a challenging career option.

This study proposes a highly refractive index sensor based on Fano resonances in metal–insulator-metal waveguide with Nano-wall side-coupled to eye-like resonator with rectangular defect and two slots. The Fano resonance is originated from the coherent coupling and interference between the discrete and the continua state. It shows a different profile, which is typically asymmetric and sharp line, in comparison with the Lorentzian resonance profile. By using a numerical solution in the finite difference time-domain, the sensing properties of the proposed design are studied. The results of our study indicate that there exist five fano resonance peaks in the transmission spectrum, and they reveal a linear relationship between the material’s refractive index and the wavelength of resonances. With optimizing structure parameters, the calculated maximum refractive index is 3144 nm/RIU. The application of the structure for temperature sensing is discussed, and the sensitivity can reach up to 1.274 nm/°C respectively. The proposed structure with extremely high sensitivity and compactness can provide an excellent case for designing high-performance integrated plasmonic devices.

Background As the rate of crime is constantly increasing, the workload on the forensic analyst also piles up. The availability of a limited number of seized samples makes it crucial to directly analyze the sample, thereby preventing wastage in the prior steps of sample preparation. Due to such needs, the forensic community is consistently working on broadening the usage of direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS). DART-MS is a relatively new technique for rapid mass spectral analysis. Its use for chemical analysis credits its ability to analyze the sample at atmospheric pressure. Main body This article gives insight into the ionization mechanisms, data analysis tools, and the use of hyphenated techniques like thermal-desorption-DART-MS, infrared-thermal-desorption-DART-MS, Joule-heating thermal-desorption-DART-MS, etc. This review summarizes the applications of DART-MS in the field of Forensic Science reported from 2005 to 2021. The applications include analysis of drugs, warfare agents, gun-shot residues, ink differentiation, and other forensically relevant samples. The paper also presents the relation between the type of DART-MS technique and the ionization mode used for a particular class of compounds. Conclusion The review follows that the high-resolution mass-spectrometers or low-resolution mass-spectrometers systems in the positive or negative mode were highly dependent on the type of analyte under investigation. Drugs, inks, dyes, and paints were mainly analyzed using the positive ionization mode in the HRMS technique. The examinations of fire accelerants predominantly used the positive ionization mode in the LRMS technique. Moreover, the limit of detection values obtained from the qualitative screening of street drugs were of ppb level, indicating high sensitivity of DART-MS. Considering the work done in the past years, there are potential future research needs of this technology, especially in forensic science. Graphical Abstract

Efficient tools for the identification and discrimination of species are imperative in wildlife conservation since they can endow with information of species exploitation and also abet in solving problems related to forensic science. Herein, a non-destructive and rapid analytical method (ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy) coupled with PCA and PLS-DA was employed to analyze the dry blood samples for the species discrimination. Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), and Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) species were used to construct the chemometric models. Additionally, Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) and Human (Homo sapiens) blood were taken for the external validation study. The evaluation results illustrate that the ATR FT-IR Spectroscopy in combination with PLS-DA model showed statistically confident discrimination among selected species from dry blood traces. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy supported with predictive models has been a robust, ideal, and suitable tool for species discrimination from dry blood traces recovered in wildlife investigations.

Analysing active chemical components of explosives, propellants and post‐blast residues have been challenging as it involves massive complexity. The increased use of energetics in various activities like military conflicts, terrorists activities, and accidental explosions has made the task even more difficult for forensic scientists and environmentalists to analyse post‐blast debris. The present studies reported the quantitative analysis of energetic materials present in post‐blast soil by 1H qNMR. The three methods have been used for quantitative studies, i.e. calibration curve method, co‐axial stem insert method, and ERETIC method (Electronic to Access In Vivo Concentration). All three methods have been compared with the studies of post‐blast residues of explosives such as PETN, Tetryl and TNT. The technique is selective, sensitive, rapid, reliable, and reproduce the result with good accuracy. The study merely requires a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (400 MHz or 500 MHz) as an instrument.

BACKGROUND: The understanding of the dynamics of the trajectory is important in ballistics to estimate the values of various flight variables accurately. The paper deals with the study of the fundamental principles of external ballistics, which allows to delve into the trajectory characteristics of the free flight trajectory of seven. 308 caliber bullets by numerically solving the point-mass equations of motion. Numerical solutions were performed by writing scripts in the Python programming language and using the Matplotlib library to plot simulated trajectories. AIM: the three aims of the study were to observe the variation of CD with Mach number (Ma) of flight and calculate an average CD for each bullet under consideration. Further, solving the 3-DoF (Degrees-of-Freedom) Point-Mass trajectory equations of motion for the given bullets (along side observing the effects of range winds on the trajectory behaviour as a variable). And finally, solving the flat-fire approximation with analysis of the effects of a crosswind. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Simulations of free-flight trajectories of seven different 7.62 mm/.308 rifle bullets (designated B0B6) have been carried out by the numerical solution of the equations of motion. The average drag force coefficients (CD) for B0B6 have been calculated by scaling the variation of CD with the Mach number of flight with reference to the G7 standard projectile. The Point-Mass trajectory model and its Flat-Fire approximation have been studied with and without the effect of range winds. The solutions of the systems of equations have been carried out by writing scripts in the Python programming language. RESULTS: It is observed that an increase in the bullet weight and consequently the sectional density lowers the CD. As expected, it is seen that the bullet with the highest drag (B0) has the shortest range and lowest apogee, while lower drag bullets fly further and higher. The crossover of trajectories is observed at ~30 angle of gun elevation, which implies that the maximum range is not achieved when fired at 45, as is the case with vacuum trajectories. Flat-fire approximation of the point-mass model was also solved to observe trajectories and crosswind deflections of the bullets when fired at 5 angles of elevation. CONCLUSION: This project presents the numerical solution of equations of motion of the Point-Mass model for a bullet fired from a gun to computationally simulate its trajectory. A group of seven 7.62 mm/.308 rifle bullets were chosen as samples to simulate free-flight trajectories. The programming language Python is well-equipped to carry out numerical solutions of systems of differential equations owing to its library of in-built functions which assists in writing an efficient script and reduces computational load. This method of solution can be applied with suitable modifications in the field of forensic ballistics for the reconstruction of bullet trajectories and to form a conclusion based on the available evidence from a crime scene.

IntroductionThe utilization and misuse of prescription and controlled medications are expanding globally. However, the kind of substance abused may contrast from one country to another, but few drugs expand their horizons due to misused capabilities, expansion of the darknet, and increase in the Internet Connecting World. One of them is tramadol, a widely misused drug worldwide, which enforcement agencies recently noticed. In treating moderate to severe pain, a racemic combination of tramadol is employed. The non-medical utilization of narcotic drugs, i.e., tramadol, is a quick arising general medical issue prompting expanding calls for planning alterations to existing policies, reconnaissance, research, and wellbeing advancement measures. Tramadol addicts typically have a history of substance usage, and studies show that the number of tramadol abusers is increasing, particularly in some Middle Eastern Nations.Method This review article finds the trends of analytical methods toward identification in pharmaceutical preparation and toxicological samples such as hair, urine, blood, and saliva. In the last 20 years, various analytical tools such as UV–visible spectroscopy, HPTLC, HPLC, LC–MS, GC, GC–MS, NMR, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Capillary Electrophoresis, Electrochemical sensors have been used for the identification of drugs in pharmaceutical preparation and toxicological samples. Forensic Scientists can only rely on quick and easy methods to perform.Result and discussionThis evaluation aims to give forensic scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and toxicologists the best solution for identifying tramadol acquired in the chemistry and toxicological divisions of various laboratories.

Pen pressure is an important individual characteristic of the handwriting examination whose potential has not been fully utilized. Most of the times it is overlooked by experts because they do not think it has substantial value to be of forensic significance. Generally, it is thought to be of relevance in cases involving simple and traced forgery. One of the reasons behind pen pressure being ignored by the document examiners may be a lack of technique to calculate the absolute value of pen pressure. The existing methods require specialized setup, training, and are expensive in nature and can only be used to measure relative value of pen pressure. The aim of this paper is to discuss various methodologies used by document experts and researchers in past with an attempt to quantify pen pressure and critically analyze them to bring the reader’s and researcher’s focus on their advantages and disadvantages. The paper also discusses prospects of future works which may include techniques that can be used more routinely in handwriting examination and can also give an absolute measure of pen pressure. In this aspect, mathematical approaches can be further explored.

Nanotechnology has emerged as a phoenix in the field of forensic science and proved to be of great importance in solving criminal cases where other techniques failed to provide conclusive results. This field of science possess humongous potential in the field of forensic science and assist in crime detection. It holds huge amount of value in making a positive contribution in assisting forensic experts and scientists in nabbing the criminals and most importantly prevent any wrongful conviction. In the past decade, many researchers have reported the satisfactory application of Nano technique in Forensic Science for the analysis of latent fingerprints, drugs in alleged drug-facilitated crimes, warfare agent detection, DNA analysis, counter terrorism, GSR detection, post-blast residue analysis, security measures, etc. It has been proved to be a robust approach for the detection of crime with greater selectivity, sensitivity, reliability and results are produced in a timely appropriate manner. The constant development of nanotechnology and its application in the field of Forensic Science over the past decade has been highlighted in this review article.

The thriving terror activity is a menace to our society. To mitigate this, there is a dire need of upgraded and innovative analytical techniques for forensic analysis of explosives. The complexity in the matrix, restrictions in the sample quantity and ambiguity in the data interpretation are the different challenges that a forensic scientist face. The solution to these problems lies in upgradation of extraction technique, screening technique & confirmatory techniques. In this paper, the identification and forensic analysis of post blast residues recovered from controlled blast site has been presented. The targeted sample was extracted from soil by using Accelerated Solvent Extraction technique. The target compound was primarily identified to be PETN (PentaErythritol TetraNitrate) by color test and TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography). The confirmatory test for the target analyte was done by using a hyphenated technique LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer with tandem Mass). This manuscript demonstrates the viability of LC-MS/MS in Forensic Science for a fast, accurate and quality-assured analysis of post-blast residue.

Digital forensic investigation is the scientific process of collection, preservation, examination, analysis, documentation and presentation of digital evidence from digital devices, so that the evidence is in compliance with legal terms and acceptable in a court of law. Integrity of the digital evidence is an indispensable part of the investigation process and should be preserved to maintain the chain of custody. This is done through hashing technique using standardized forensic tools. However, while handling the evidences , lack of knowledge might lead to unintentional alteration of computed hash. This violates the chain of custody and makes the evidence inadmissible in a court of law. In this paper, our objective is to determine the different conditions under which the original hash value of a digital evidence changes. For this, we create different scenarios using sample data files and compute their hash values. A comparative study and analysis are done to determine in which scenario the original hash value of the data file changes. The results of the research will prove useful and essential for Criminal Justice Functionaries in gaining knowledge about various conditions leading to the change in hash value of digital evidence and therefore, avoid its accidental alteration during forensic investigation/examination.