Police begin collecting DNA records under 2022 law; over one lakh profiles generated
In many states, police have begun collecting DNA records, primarily blood samples, from suspects arrested for heinous crimes. Along with DNA profiles, photographs, fingerprints and iris scans, the government creates a unique identification record of arrested people and convicts that can be stored for up to 75 years.
For the past five months, DNA records of more than one lakh suspects have been stored in a central database operated by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The samples are being collected under the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act (CrPI), which was passed by Parliament in 2022.
The provision to record, store and analyze measurements such as fingerprints, retina scans and iris scans of arrested persons was implemented in March 2025, but it took longer to record DNA profiles due to lack of sufficient forensic expertise and storage capacity of the State police forces, an NCRB official said.
More than 2,600 measurement collection units have been installed across the country and the CrPI system is now available in police districts and prisons. It is also accessible to central agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency and Narcotics Control Bureau.
The outline of the CrPI system was showcased at an NCRB event chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah on June 19.
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2024, mandates forensic examination of the crime scene for all crimes punishable by imprisonment of seven years or more.
“Samples are currently collected by the police in cases that carry a seven-year penalty. DNA, mostly from blood and in some cases from saliva, is sent to a forensic laboratory, which then generates a unique number. The NCRB maintains the code in its records. The sanctity of the samples depends on the police,” an NCRB official said.
In a presentation on the CrPI system, it was stated that accurate identification of criminals is a fundamental requirement for an effective investigation and the CrPI Act, 2022 was passed by Parliament “for legal recognition of identification-based evidence”.
“This Act allows police and prison officials to take physical and biological samples from arrested and convicted persons. To make these provisions effective, there was a need for a national platform that could integrate and make identity-related data available across the country. In this direction, NCRB launched the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) in 2022, which fully automates the fingerprint matching process. With over 1.27 crore fingerprint records today, NAFIS has played a significant role in solving many problems. old interstate criminal cases,” he said.
He added that after the implementation of NAFIS, the NCRB was given the responsibility of implementing the CrPI Act.
“Thanks to CrPI, all information related to identification, including face, Iris and Biological Samples, is now available in a nationally searchable database, making accurate and scientific identification possible within minutes. A photograph taken from the scene can now be instantly matched with records across the country, which was previously a long and manual process. CrPI operates as a nationwide unified system where every identity-based measurement is securely stored in a standard system. Clarity of eyes is ensured when taking photographs according to standards. Thus, any In order to prevent identification despite disguise or change, CrPI ensures that facial and iris measurements of detainees and convicts are recorded, and in special cases, biological samples are recorded.
According to the NCRB’s presentation, biological samples taken from the crime scene can be directly matched with existing records, allowing habitual criminals to be identified using scientific methods. The NCRB said the CrPI system also has an advanced video analysis feature through which investigators can upload CCTV footage to identify faces of suspicious persons and match them with the national database.
“Manual investigation, which previously took hours, is now possible in just minutes. This feature also makes it easier and faster to identify interstate criminals because their records can be instantly matched across the country.”
NCRB said each individual registered in the system is given a unique identification number from which records linked to that individual can be compiled in one place, making identification easier even if names or appearances are changed to conceal identity. He said evidence recovered from crime scenes can be linked to identity records through scientific verification, thus strengthening criminal investigations and prosecutions.
It was published – 21 June 2026 19:48 IST
