In a bid to make crime-solving easier, Bangladesh is planning to establish its first ever National DNA Database Centre to preserve the DNA samples of convicted offenders, missing and unidentified persons and crime scene evidence.
The indexing system at the centre – the first of its kind in the country – will preserve the DNA data which can later be used to solve cases.
Sources said initiatives to set up the database centre will begin as soon as the DNA bill, which was submitted before the parliament during its last session, is passed by the House. Currently the bill is being scrutinised by the parliamentary standing committee on women and children affairs.
The draft of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Act – which mentions the establishment of a National DNA Database Centre – received its final approval by the cabinet last November.
The database will be set up by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs under the National DNA Profiling Laboratory at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Dr Sharif Akteruzzaman, head of the DNA laboratory, told the Dhaka Tribune that they primarily plan to collect DNA samples from only the violent offenders who commit murder and rape.
After a court finds someone guilty, the jail authorities will bring the convict to the laboratory where their DNA samples will be collected for future reference using the database. The DNA of unidentified bodies will also be preserved at the database centre.
The laboratory and its index, if established, can prove to be the most powerful tool for identifying criminals and solving crimes in the country’s history, claimed the DNA lab chief.
Not only would the facility save time and money for the law enforcement agencies, it would also be crucial in ensuring justice for the victims, he said.
Referring to the UK’s Forensic Science Service, Dr Sharif said a DNA database centre could save up to 90% of investigation costs for law enforcers.
He added that the centre, if established, would be requiring highly trained professionals for the centre to be effective in busting crimes and helping investigations.
The DNA lab carried out a total 2,615 DNA tests between 2006 and May 2014, including 1,307 rape-related tests, 906 tests on parentage, 225 on murders, 50 on identities, 36 on immigration, 12 on siblings, 53 on tissue transplants, and one for a burglary-related case.
Although separate courts had previously passed judgements against offenders based on DNA test results, the DNA lab did not receive any document or statistics from the court as there is no existing DNA act that makes it mandatory to notify the laboratory.