Identification of Make and Model from the Burnt Material of a Laptop

Abstract

Criminal destroy evidence for the purpose of hiding their identity and information regarding the crime scene after committing the crime. Setting fire is the most common practice to damage the evidences and can burn almost all evidence materials like clothes, plastic and wood. Nowadays computers, mobile phones, laptops and other digital evidence which carry information regarding criminal act are usually found at the scene of crime. In this case victim was kidnapped along with his laptop for ransom and later on murdered. During investigation police seized some burnt material from the suspicious place and sent it for the examination. Police want to know whether burnt material have remnant of laptop or not. They also want to know the make and model of the laptop to establish the link between burnt material and victim, as the detail of victim’s laptop mentioned in F.I.R. The burnt material was examined in the laboratory and identified as laptop with its make and model. This paper reveals the process of handling of burnt laptop and identifying the internal parts, make and model of the laptop with the help of marking, shape & size of the metallic parts.