A DNA test is crucial in investigating rape—and other crimes—as forensic evidence is used to prove cases in criminal courts; however, officers concerned have not been receiving results from Dhaka's DNA Profile Laboratory.
Many rape, murder, and child repression cases remain unsolved as the genetic analyzer for testing DNA at the Dhaka Forensic Department has been inoperative for a long time.
Charge sheets are not being submitted on time due to delays in the receipt of DNA reports. The genetic analyzer has been inoperative for a long time, say sources in the Forensic Department.
Recently, a case was lodged and the criminal arrested after a six year-old child was raped in Kadamtali in the city. The Sub-inspector of Kadamtali police, Dipankar, said that he has not received a DNA report in the last nine months.
“Although all the work relating to the case was completed, I cannot submit the charge sheet without the DNA report and I was forced to ask for extra time from the court,” Dipankar said.
Sub-inspector of the Khulna Sadar thana, Sanwar Hossain, said: “I submitted evidence in a rape case last November but have not yet received the report.”
Sub-inspector Shahnewaz of Khulna Metropolitan Police, went to the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory in Dhaka with a list of ten cases but had to return without reports.
“Whenever we contact them for the report, the lab says that the main machine is inoperative,” said Shahnewaz.
Evidence for more than 500 cases was submitted to the lab, till June 2019. Most of the cases are filed under the Women and Children Repression Act.
Despite repeated requests, relevant authorities have not fixed the machine. As a result, cases remain unsolved.
According to laboratory sources, in 2018, evidence for 480 cases was submitted and 178 reports were given. Evidence for 208 cases, submitted in the first four months of 2019, has not yet been tested.
Technical Adviser of the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory, Dr Sharif Akhtaruzzaman, said: “Since the genetic analyzer is out of order, we are facing problems; also, the lab equipment is more than 12 years old and need servicing.”
However, we will soon overcome this problem, he said.
