With the Naxalite threat topping security concern for the Maharashtra Police, investigation of Naxalite related offences in the state is now slated to become less time-consuming with a state-of-the-art forensic unit being opened in Nagpur. It will deal with arms and ammunitions cases from the Vidarbha region.

While a Regional Forensic Science Laboratory already exists in Nagpur, it now has its own super speciality Ballistics Division to exclusively deal with Naxalite cases.

“Every year we receive over 250 cases of arms and ammunition from Vidharba which are solely investigated by the Mumbai lab thus far. However, with a ballistics division in Nagpur, all cases will be sent there, thus preventing the time spent in sealing the items and getting them to Mumbai,” said Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy, Director of Forensic Science Laboratories.

The Naxal-affected districts are all located in Vidarbha, and police-Naxalite clashes here have claimed several lives and led to the seizure of large hauls of sophisticated weaponry.The Nagpur lab is the first in the country to have a super specialty unit at the regional level. While the Nagpur laboratory has just one ballistics expert at present, Kirshanamurthy said it would receive more personnel after a shuffling process.