• Hritik Kumar
• Prem Ranjan Kumar
• Shanu Kumar

Fingerprints are one of the most frequently found evidence in crime scene and are widely recognized as a tool for human personal identification. The nature of fingerprints varies at crime scene on a circumstantial basis like visible, three-dimensional and latent or invisible fingerprints. The latent prints are mostly encountered at a crime scene, which requires the use of imaging technique. Among the established routine methods for fingerprint development are the use of commercially available black and white powder. Although this method is relatively fast, simple and cheap, but can cause harmful hazards and health risks to users due to the use of fine particles such as titanium dioxide, lead and mercury-based powders. Therefore, there is a growing need to find alternate powders that are easy to prepare, cost-effective, and non-toxic in nature. This study proposes to develop an alternate powder that can be produced by the ash of coconut spathe that is considered as waste of coconut fruit and it is a much cheaper, simple, and readily available option and the finding of the study revealed that ash of coconut spathe is capable in visualizing latent fingerprint on both porous and non-porous surfaces such as sunmica, glass, marble, metal, tiles, plastic, paper and plaster wall. The frictional ridges were very clear and all the minutiae and can be used for comparison and record purposes. This study also opens up the scope of further study in this way.

Latent fingerprint, coconut spathe, crime scene, toxic, hazardous

"Development of dark powder by coconut spathe ash for latent fingerprint visualization", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 11, page no.b526-b530, November-2023, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2311161.pdf

"Development of dark powder by coconut spathe ash for latent fingerprint visualization", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 11, page no. ppb526-b530, November-2023, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2311161.pdf