North Bengal: Eight Districts Get Mobile Forensic Vans for Faster Crime Investigations

MP | 7 September 2026 | Jalpaiguri: Mobile forensic laboratory vans have been introduced in eight districts of North Bengal to enable experts to reach crime scenes quickly, collect crucial evidence and ensure its safe transportation to forensic laboratories.

The initiative is expected to reduce delays in investigations involving murder, rape, POCSO offences, shooting incidents, suspicious deaths and other serious crimes, particularly in remote areas.

A specialised vehicle has been deployed in each district, equipped with forensic kits for collecting, preserving and transporting samples.

A significant portion of the samples collected from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar will be examined at the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) in Jalpaiguri.

The laboratory currently has Biology, Toxicology and Serology divisions, while facilities for narcotic examination are expected to be introduced soon.

Its Ballistics Physics service has recently started examining firearms and cartridges.

The laboratory examines blood, serum, viscera, semen, human tissue and other samples related to murder, rape, suicide, poisoning, suspicious deaths and POCSO cases.

Forensic officials said the vans will help prevent evidence from being damaged or contaminated by crowds and eliminate delays caused by expert teams travelling long distances to crime scenes.

Dr Mousumi Rakshit, Assistant Director of the Jalpaiguri RFSL, said: “Under the new Nyaya Sanhita, forensic experts are required to conduct an on-site inspection of crime scenes in cases where the law provides for a sentence of more than seven years. At the same time, the workload for examining samples in murder, rape and POCSO cases has increased over the past one to two years. With the introduction of mobile forensic laboratory vans, samples can now be collected quickly from crime scenes, making it possible to submit reports faster as well.”