Pandemic takes toll on Fingerprint Bureau as 12 officials get infected
The pandemic has not been able to dampen the work spirit of the Fingerprint Bureau, which has played an active role in helping the cops nab the accused involved in thefts and burglaries during this period. The Bureau officials visited 3,815 locations across the state from March to September this year and helped the police nab 63 criminals. However, the pandemic also hit them hard as 12 of them were infected by COVID-19.
According to the Bureau, in 2019 the Mumbai unit had visited 1,281 places and collected 1,143 fingerprints. This had led to the arrest of 104 accused. Teams from the Mumbai unit visited 575 places across the city between January and September this year and collected 200 fingerprints, which led to the arrest of 19 accused. They visited 48 places in March and 16 places in April and two accused were arrested based on the collections. In May, two accused were arrested after the teams collected fingerprints from 22 places and in June, one person was arrested based on fingerprints collected from 48 places. In August, they visited 72 places and in September about 87 places. Three accused were arrested based on the collections.
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As per a case lodged at Malad police station in September, thieves stole R45 lakh from a house while the owner had gone to his village. On September 13 the Bureau officials visited the spot to collect the fingerprint samples. Investigation revealed that the fingerprints were of Ajay alias Apalu Chinappa and were on record.
In another case of a house break-in in Manwath of Parbhani district, R5.55 lakh was stolen. After the officials collected the fingerprints, it was found to be of Santosh Narayan alias Baburao Bhosle and was on record too.
Requesting anonymity, a fingerprint official told mid-day, "The officials were working 24/7 during the lockdown period. Mostly the thieves targeted the houses that were under lock and key because the residents had gone to their native places."
About the bureau
The Fingerprint Bureau comes under the State Criminal Investigation Department and it has units in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad since 1899. Currently, the Bureau has 117 searchers, 31 first experts, nine senior police inspectors, three deputy directors and two directors. The Mumbai unit has 17 experts. The junior experts are mainly sub-inspector-level officers.
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