BACKGROUND:Child sexual assault is highly prevalent in India yet a handful cases are reported under POCSO (Protection against child sexual offenses) Act, 2012. Even though the victims' testimony alone is enough to arrest accused as regulated by the Supreme Court but forensic evidence is still critical for sentencing rapists. A systematic evaluation of such cases will estimate impact of Child sexual assault (CSA) and pinpoint important aspects required for progression of prevention strategies and provision of support. METHOD AND OBJECTIVE:Present study reviewed cases pertaining pre-pubertal victims (up to 10 years age). Study included simple descriptive analysis of data highlighting significance of different variables in sexual assault cases involving child victims- perpetration, interventions, medical examination and forensic DNA analysis with the aim to improve primary preventive strategies and identify potential setbacks obstructing road to justice. RESULT:The strengths and weaknesses of pre-pubertal sexual assault assessment were identified. This study analyzed socio-economic backgrounds, age of alleged accused and whether known to the victim. Frequently reported type of abuse was assessed and total reviewed cases that yielded DNA profile from exhibits of victims and alleged accused were determined. CONCLUSION:As emerged in present study, pre-pubertal CSA is a complicated phenomenon grounded in interplay between societal influences, family support, evidence collection, legal delays, and medical hindrances that greatly affect DNA analysis. Prevalence of CSA is evidently alarming and demands stringent measures to be taken to prevent and control it. Joint and multidisciplinary assessment is important for forensic reporting rather than solo assessment.

INTRODUCTION:According to studies undertaken in numerous nations, alarming increase in the number of unidentified bodies is a global concern. The population worldwide is increasing, and so is the population of the developing Indian subcontinent. Interestingly, a portion of this population is made up of individuals who have flocked from different states in search of employment, etc. Such people die under unfortunate circumstances, and under a police inquest, the process of their identification begins with an autopsy surgeon and a forensic scientist playing a larger role in it. DNA profiling provides an efficient tool in identification of such unidentified bodies. In addition, the authors have attempted to put together a background narrative of the ill-fated individuals; divulging into their standing in the urban society. MATERIALS & METHODS:A total of 100 case files related to unidentified bodies were selected from total cases received between 2017 and 2021 at Regional Forensic Science Laboratory. The various parameters were reviewed, followed by DNA profiling of all exhibits. An attempt was made to correlate the said parameters with respect to DNA profiles and vice-versa to comprehend how these parameters, coupled with DNA profiling, help in identification of unidentified bodies. RESULTS:The majority of the unknown deceased were males in the age range of 3-90 years old. The unknown deceased died of natural or unnatural causes, with majority dying of injury or trauma. The approximate time since death ranged from same day up to 6 months. Exhibits like dried blood gauzes, liquid blood samples in EDTA vials, teeth, and bones were able to generate DNA profiles in most of the cases for identity of deceased. Blood gauze was the most common source of exhibits submitted at the laboratory. CONCLUSION:The study's findings revealed that besides age, sex or cause and manner of death of decedent, the type of exhibit (blood gauze, tooth, etc.) for DNA examination, the appropriate exhibit, if collected and preserved properly, can play a vital role in identification. A systematised action plan is required by law enforcement agencies in order to minimise the social and legal burden of unidentified dead bodies. In such a plan, medical experts must note down all possible findings at the time of post-mortem and collect suitable exhibits for DNA profiling. Further DNA profiling of the exhibits by forensic DNA experts should be done to preserve the unaltered identity of the deceased for a longer term in a DNA database.

Background: Every year, millions of children face sexual exploitation worldwide. In India, 109 children (National Crime Records Bureau2018) were sexually abused everyday (22% jump from the previous year). Even with advanced DNA techniques, the conviction rate remains low. The methods used for forensic DNA evidence analysis vary around the world, but the primary step of biological evidence collection plays the most vital role. Proper and timely evidence collection from the victim by a trained medical professional is important. Main body: Dynamics of child sexual assault being massively different from an adult rape demands altogether different approach of evidence collection. A standard sexual kit employed for evidence collection needs urgent modifications considering genital development of pre- and post-pubertal victims. In the present study, parameters including systemic collection and evaluation of forensic evidences, medico-legal examination, and developmental consequences of sexual assault on pre-pubertal victims were assessed. Further suggestions for separate evidence collection kit during medico-legal examination were given for pre-pubertal victims and alleged accused in sexual assault cases in order to streamline and for better evaluation of DNA analysis in forensic laboratories. Conclusion: The importance of expert medical practitioners plays a significant role in collection of appropriate information and evidences from the victim of sexual assault. General guidelines for evidence collection in sexual assault cases are not well suited for pre-pubertal victims. Appropriate reforms pertaining to the age and genital development of victims are required. Securing clothing as forensic evidence is essential in most cases as it turned out to be the exclusive evidence bearing material. The purpose of this article is to bring awareness about the thorough medical examination and modified sexual assault kit for pre-pubertal victims and alleged accused for a better approach in evidence collection and conviction rate.

In forensic casework, sample degradation is a largely an unsolved problem that exists due to poor preservation protocols. In Indian subcontinent, the forensic blood stains are commonly exposed to different ecological conditions for months before they are collected and transferred to the forensic laboratory for analysis. Under such conditions, the question of haemoglobin (Hb) & nucleic acid stability is of utmost importance. The biological evidence, especially the blood sample that underwent extreme conditions should further be retained in an appropriate storage facility until processed for the forensic serology/DNA testing. The present study provides the spectroscopic approach of analyzing Hb and DNA degradation of forensic blood samples preserved under varied conditions (tabulated and graphically). These samples were further subjected to and DNA analysis to assess the quality of sample based on different preservation conditions. At last, this study suggests the effective and appropriate preservation protocol of sample soon after its collection.

Sexual assaults and rapes are such violent crimes that not only leave the victims physically assaulted but also emotionally traumatized or even dead. In 2002, WHO (World Health Organization) estimated that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under the age of 18 years had experienced sexual assault which is one of the most common but unreported crime. Children below the age of 18 suffer all forms of sexual activities that include vaginal-fingering, anal-fingering, vaginal and/or anal penetration, looking at sexual parts with psychiatric sense, voyeurism, or pornography. In spite of all the laws, education and awareness, Child Sexual Assault (CSA) cases were recorded to have been tremendously increasing especially in the metropolitan cities. Studies prove that the incidence is far bigger than what is reported to authorities and the frequency of CSA cases is therefore difficult to determine as they are often not reported. Sexual assault and rape victims seek out official provision amenities in the acute period that may even be stretched to days, weeks, months or years following the sexual assault. This delayed disclosure may be challenging for the purpose of eliciting the tell-tales from the evidence that could be the only way to establish the link between the accused and the crime.The objective of our study is to evaluate the overall crime rate of Delhi NCR in the year 2017–2018 and to study the reasons associated with delayed reporting. Rising out of the analysis, the secondary objective of the study is to find the possible effects of delayed medico legal examination on forensic DNA evidence. The emphasis is given on the cases reported U/S 376 IPC (this section stipulates punishments that are awarded if a person is convicted to rape), U/S 377 (this section describes punishment for whoever voluntarily commits unnatural intercourse with any human being or animal) and POCSO Act (Child Sexual Assault). The victims in this study are in the age range of 2 months to 17 years; unmarried, predominantly adolescents, having very low social and educational status. Involvement of Juvenile offenders in committing rape is quite high. In most of the cases the offenders are either neighbor and/or known to the victim. The objective of our study is to evaluate the statistical percentage of child sexual abuse cases.

Of all human DNA sources, teeth are extremely resistant to environmental factors like cremation, drenching, trauma, mutilation and deterioration. Therefore, they constitute an astonishing sourceof DNA material. The present case study highlights the great effectiveness of dental DNA in identifying a highly decomposed and extremely fragile skeletonized drowned body with severe craniofacial fractures. Identification was achieved by paternity testing and positively establishing the car used in the crime as the murder vehicle by isolating DNA from the bloodstains present in the car.This study also emphasized the dire need to create a DNA database for Indian populations for conclusion of quick results.

The sexual assault cases are on a rise in India’s capital Delhi (approximate fivefold increase in last 10 years) and so are the cases where men are falsely implicated for the same. Many cases go unreported owing to the social stigma attached. There have been cases where women misused these laws for personal gains [1]. Hence, any sexual assault case should be investigated carefully and impartially so as not to miss a single piece of evidence. We present a similar case study where the crime scene showed signs of violence. The presence of Y-peak on Amelogenin locus in Identifiler STRs in vaginal swabs of victim raised doubt of case being positive but Y-Filer STR helped in distinguishing the male contributor from the alleged accused. This conclusion strongly indicates the power of Y-STRs in forensic DNA analysis –it not only helps in identification of perpetrator but also in exclusion of the innocent.

In forensic investigation, there are difficulties in stature and gender estimation of bodies dismembered in mass destruction and criminal mutilation. An individual’s hand or foot, when recovered and brought for forensic examination, can provide valuable information about a person’s identity. Stature provides insight into various features of a population, including nutrition, health and genetics, geographical location, environment and climatic condition. Stature estimation remains a constant challenge for forensic anthropologists because of secular changes in stature due to allometric changes in long bones, and migrations of world populations. In the forensic literature a considerable attention has been paid in regard to stature estimation from long bones. But little attention has been received on secular changes in hand and foot dimensions in a homogenous population with similar climatic adaptation over the years. The present study deals with the comparison of hand length and foot length along with stature among male and female Sikhs of the Delhi region in two different time frames i.e., 1998-2015 (16 years). Both studies were compared to see the secular changes in these parameters. The results show that in the year 2015, a negative secular trend is observed in the mean value of stature among both male and female Sikhs, thereby indicating their weaker socioeconomic, environmental and biological parameters. No marked secular changes have been observed in hand and foot dimensions over the years. This indicates that hand and foot dimensions are genetically driven as negligible differences could be observed in their mean values.

Forensic analysis of mixed DNA samples poses a potential challenge for the investigator. Male-female mixed DNA samples in sexual assault cases are commonly analyzed in forensic laboratory but in case of male-male and female-female mixed DNA sample from multiple perpetrators in sexual assaults (gang rapes) and homicide cases, it is not easy to discriminate the origin of different donors. We present a protocol for mixed blood stain samples involving agglutination of leukocytes with ABO antisera and using the separated leukocytes for DNA profiling. By using this technique, we were able to differentiate the leukocytes of different individuals. DNA profiles were obtained using AmpFlSTR identifiler plus amplification kit.