Detecting narcotics from skeleton gets easier now

Researcher at forensic sciencedept at GU has developed nanotechnology sensor which can detect narcotics fromskeletons through smart phone

You must have seen several Hollywood crime serials where detectives find out the cause of death from skel eton within seconds. But this is no more a fiction as a researcher from Forensic Science Department of Gujarat University has developed nanotechnology based-sensor that find out the cause of death by detecting narcotics from skelegujarat university, tal remains through smart phones. And all this just in seconds.“Nanotechnology has been used in almost all aspects of science but hasn't been used efficiently in forensic science. At a time when drug related crime is on the rise this advanced technology can solve crime mysteries faster,“ said Anand Rajput who has developed the technology.

Skeletal remains are all that is left after disposal of skin, tissue, and body organs. In such cases, it becomes tough to predict the cause of death which plays a pivotal role in creating profile of the victim which helps narrow down the investigation.

“Currently, very few such methods provide on-spot detection of drugs. In addition, there is hardly any quantitative method available for on-spot analysis. Traditionally, sample are send to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for sophisticated instrument analysis which is costly and need precise extraction method which are tedious to perform and time-consuming,“ said Rajput.He has presented the research at an international conference held in Patiala which was attended by the world's senior scientists of forensic science.

“This is a very novel approach in forensic science as well as in investigation of any case related to unidentified bodies and skeletal remains. And most importantly, it can be done through a smart phone,“ he added.It took for a year to develop the technology but it hasn't stopped here.Rajput is further developing nano drug testing chips. “After developing the strips, I will approach FSL and the police to test this method in investigation,“ he said.

HOW IT WORKS

Nanotechnology-based sensor helps in detection of codeine which gives color change from red to blue. This change can be easily viewed by naked eye which facilitates the on-spot detection on crime scene. Then just by taking photograph the resulted coloured product of reaction mixture.The resulted image was then open in Adobe Photoshop or any android app which provide RGB calculation.