PANAJI
While the Centre has now notified the National Forensic Sciences University's (NFSU) Digital Forensics Laboratory at Dharbandora as an Examiner of Electronic Evidence, Goa had already reached that milestone more than a year earlier, with the Directorate of Forensic Sciences’ (DFS) Computer Forensic Division (CFD) at Verna receiving the same recognition.
The latest notification makes the Dharbandora laboratory only the second NFSU facility in the country to be recognised under Section 79A of the Information Technology Act. Authorised to examine and certify electronic evidence in computer (media) and mobile device forensics, it joins a select network of just 21 notified laboratories nationwide and becomes only the fourth such facility in western India.
The State-run DFS's CFD, meanwhile, was notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in May 2025 as an Examiner of Electronic Evidence – a significant step in strengthening Goa’s in-house digital forensic capabilities.
Outgoing Deputy Inspector General of Police Varsha Sharma told The Goan that the recognition enabled the forensic team to examine a wide range of digital evidence within Goa itself.
“The CFD of this Directorate was notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under Section 79A of the Information Technology Act as an Examiner of Electronic Evidence, authorised to conduct computer (media) forensics, excluding floppy disk drives, and mobile device forensics,” she said.
Sharma said the laboratory is equipped to examine mobile phones, pen drives, hard disks, DVRs and other digital storage devices using high-end forensic workstations and specialised tools, including Falcon Logic Cube, forensic duplicators, XRY, UFED 4PC, MobilEdit Forensic Software, EnCase and FTK.
“The advanced equipment has given a major boost to our forensic capabilities,” she added.
The recognition of the NFSU laboratory has further strengthened Goa's digital forensic ecosystem by adding another specialised facility capable of generating legally admissible electronic evidence, at a time when cybercrime, financial fraud and technology-enabled offences are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Until less than a decade ago, computers, mobile phones and other digital storage devices seized during investigations had to be sent to forensic laboratories in Hyderabad, Pune, Gandhinagar and Mumbai. Examination reports often took several months, delaying investigations and prosecutions.
That dependence began to reduce after the DFS, Verna, established its CFD in 2018.
Meanwhile, the expansion of digital forensics has mirrored the broader transformation of the DFS into a comprehensive scientific investigation centre. Over the past decade, the Directorate has added specialised divisions for toxicology, biology, ballistics, cyber forensics, narcotics and DNA fingerprinting, enabling investigators to obtain scientific evidence across a wide range of criminal cases without having to rely on laboratories outside the State.
DIG Sharma said the DNA Fingerprinting Division, commissioned in 2023 under the Nirbhaya Scheme, analyses blood, saliva, hair and other biological samples using automated extraction systems and advanced genetic analysers.
“Goa has also strengthened scientific crime scene investigation by deploying five District Mobile Forensic Units, including three new forensic vans inducted this year with Central and State funding. Operating round the clock, the units preserve and collect evidence at crime scenes, reducing contamination and improving the quality of forensic analysis,” she said.
The DFS has simultaneously expanded its scientific workforce and is in the process of filling 60 additional posts, including scientific officers, forensic assistants, photographers, videographers and search personnel dedicated to crime scene examination.
Its modernisation drive has also extended to case management. Earlier this year, the Directorate rolled out the e-Forensic 2.0 platform, digitising the movement of forensic cases from the receipt of evidence to the submission of reports, reducing paperwork and improving the speed with which forensic findings are delivered to investigating agencies.
