Recreation of crime scene: IIT Kottayam's 3D scanner has potential to give more teeth to police

Kochi: Gyaan Innovation Lab based in the Indian Institute of Information Technology has come up with an innovation that would help the police department. The technology they developed will allow the recreation of a crime scene through Virtual Reality (VR). The Kottayam-based institution has plans to bring this innovation, popular in foreign countries, to India at a low cost. 

Their 3D scanner won a prize at the Vimarsh 2023 5G Hackathon, jointly organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bureau of Police Research and Development. The objective of the Hackathon was to tackle critical issues, explore innovative solutions for Law Enforcement Agencies, address challenges they encounter, and foster innovation in the field. 

The 3D scanner was developed such that it would help in the advancement of an investigation by imaginatively recreating the crime scene. The Chief Innovation Officer at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, K B Anuroop, informed that the system can be set up with an investment of Rs 10,000 using mobile phones and cloud computing.

This innovation won a price amounting to Rs 1 Lakh. They will also receive a grant of Rs 2 Lakh for the product. 

The team developed a crime scene recreation system in collaboration with the Kerala Police and presented it at the Cocon Cyber Security Conference held in Kochi last year. However, the cost of the 3D scanner was estimated at Rs 30 Lakh.

At present, investigation officers analyze a crime scene with the help of videos and pictures gathered from the crime scene.  But with the new system, the entire crime scene from the day of the crime can be recreated. Wearing a virtual reality headset can also create the impression of being present at the scene.