The Managing Director of the Noida Government Hospital, Vinod Kumar Srivastava told CNN-IBN that the cause of the victims' deaths cannot be determined from the skeletal remains found in accused Moninder's Singh's house.
Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is currently conducting a narco-analysis test on the two accused in the Nithari serial killings case - Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder.
Perhaps the most important objective of the Uttar Pradesh Police in bringing these accused to Gandhinagar is to ascertain whether there is more to the killings - like the possibility of human organ trade.
An anesthetist, a forensic expert and two psychologists. All of them are being given a comprehensive briefing by the Noida Police as to the questions that need to be posed to the accused once the truth serum has been administered.
The four experts are also in the process of determining what dosage of the drug should be administered.
They say that the dosage can be ascertained only after the number of questions that need to be answered are determined.
What is a narco-analysis test?
Assistant Director, FSL, Gandhinagar, V H Patel, "We inject drugs into a person, which makes his conscious mind relax. It is under the influence of these drugs that a person begins to speak out the things that he would normally try to hide."
The chemical injected during the test is sodium pentathol, which is popularly known as the truth serum, for obvious reasons.
The term narco-analysis comes from inducing the subject into a trance-like state with the help of narcotics. The test is conducted using the premise that a person usually lies using his imagination. The imagination of the subject in this test is neutralised by injecting him with sodium pentothal and putting him in an "artificial condition of wakefulness". In this state, the subject answers questions with childlike honesty. Since the drug does not affect the subject's memory, he is able to answer simple questions directed at him with only the facts that he is aware of. |
The effect of the drug makes the person semi conscious, restricting their ability to manipulate answers or use their imagination.
In addition to the narco-analysis test, the Nithari accused will have to undergo a Brain Finger Printing Test and a Lie Detection or Polygraph Test.
In these two tests, no drugs are used. For the Brain Finger Printing test, sensors are fitted on accused's head and then they are shown pictures of the killings and made to hear sentences that describe the killings.
Based on the kind of response the brain makes, conclusions are drawn.
Says an FSL official, Namrata Khopkar, "Once the sensors are placed, and we show pictures to the accused and make them hear things. The way one's brain reacts to these sounds can establish a lot of things."
In case of the lie detection test, scientists observe changes in breathing pattern, skin reactions and the like.
The laboratory will take at least a week to give results of the three tests. Even then, how acceptable the results are as evidence is a point of debate in judiciary circles.
The Director of the Forensic Science Lab Ahmedabad, J M Vyas has said that the test results depend on the co-operation of the two accused.
"It all depends on their co-operation and condition and how they respond to our questionnaire. It may take a long time but if they respond immediately it will take less time," he says.
The accused were brought to Ahmedabad by Jet Airways flight 701, which landed at 0750 hrs IST.
The police are pushing for these tests for they want to use the results as corroborative evidence even though the results are not admissible in a court of law.
Says Deputy SP, Noida, Dinesh Yadav, "The missing links are very important and we don't want to take any chances. We are conducting tests to collect more evidence."
Updates from Noida
Meanwhile, in Noida, another case has been registered by the parents of a missing six-year-old girl, who say their daughter's belongings were found in Moninder Singh Pandher's home.
The families of the victims in Nithari village are maintaining a low profile. There is heavy police presence in the area.
The woman who used to work as a maid in Pandher's house is also being questioned.
The police are not ruling out the involvement of a professional as they say that bones of the children have been cut with medical precision.
The torso bones of most of the skeletons are missing leading to speculation on organ trade.
Forensic experts are presently examining Moninder Singh Pandher's house in Noida for any clue that they might have missed in the first round of investigations.
In the meantime, sympathy is poring in from everywhere with a contingent of the National Cadet Corps visiting Nithari and lighting candles at the scene of the crime to pay their respects to the victims.
THE ISSUE AT HAND |
The bones indicate that the most recent victims were murdered three months ago. The oldest murders took place three years ago. The possibility of organ trade can't be ruled out and the possibility of rape cannot be ascertained from just the bones, without the evidence usually found in the victim's body flesh or tissue. |
(With inputs from Meghdoot Sharon in Gujarat and Urvashi Gulia and Saqib Malik in New Delhi)
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.