Physio-chemical test rules out presence of common drugs and other suspicious substances in the body
Photo Credits: VISCERA - FR BISMARQUES REPORT
PANAJI: Report of the physio-chemical test on the viscera of Fr Bismarque Dias has ruled out the presence of suspicious substances in the body further strengthening the present line of police investigation.
The viscera report was received by the crime branch of Goa Police on Friday from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad.
Speaking to The Goan, SP (Crime) Karthik Kashyap stated, “The viscera report of Fr Bismarque has been received. All relevant tests were conducted for all possible substances and no suspicious substances have been detected in the body.”
The viscera report has ruled out the presence of common drugs and other suspicious substances. In addition to this, no blunt force trauma was detected on the body, in congruence with the earlier two autopsies.
Sources in the crime branch disclosed that the investigating team does not want to leave any trace of doubt in the minds of those demanding justice for Bismarque. Hence, presently, the investigating officer is likely to probe all angles, it was informed.
The investigation team had sent the viscera samples to CFSL around mid-November, with a request to hasten the procedure, after the second post-mortem was conducted on the body at Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim.
Sources revealed that DNA test of the bloodstained vest recovered from the sluice gate where Fr Bismarque’s body was found and diatom test on the body will take another two weeks.
GMC had previously conducted two autopsies on the body of Fr Bismarque. But the forensics team led by Dr Edmundo Rodrigues has reserved its verdict on the matter. The final verdict on the cause of death will come from GMC only after the reports of these tests are shared with the GMC authorities.
While the first post mortem report had pinned the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning, the second autopsy had ruled out ante-mortem physical injury.
Meanwhile, samples of water from the river where the body of Dias was found and the blood-stained vest were also sent to the Hyderabad laboratory along with the viscera.
Diatom test is considered as the most important tool in diagnosis and confirmation of death due to drowning. It is done to ascertain whether diatoms found within the viscera match those found in the water samples from where the dead body was recovered. Diatoms are unicellular plant organisms which are most frequently detected in naturally occurring bodies of water
Tissues from lungs, brain, kidney, liver and bone marrow are commonly employed in proving or disproving theories of drowning. Of these, bone marrow is reported to be the best as it is least affected by contamination during post-mortem submersion of the body in water.
Authorities await the reports of these tests along with the findings of the lie detector tests, which are likely to be conducted on the two boys who accompanied Fr Bismarque on the night of November 5 when he went missing. One of the boys, Daryl Vaz, has given his consent to the lie-detector test. The application of the crime branch to conduct the test on the other boy, a minor, has been adjourned to December 14 by the Juvenile Court.
The final forensic report as well as the conclusive direction of the ongoing investigation is set to be decided only after these all these reports are out.
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MURDER OR DROWNING DEATH
* Two autopsies conducted on the body at the Goa Medical College
* First report pointed to asphyxia due to drowning as cause of death
* The second autopsy report ruled out ante-mortem physical injury
* The forensics team at GMC reserved its verdict on the matter
* Viscera samples of Bismarque Dias sent to CFSL around mid-November
* Report received; no presence of common drugs or suspicious substance
* DNA test of the bloodstained vest and diatom test will take two weeks
* Final verdict after all the reports are shared with GMC authorities
