Enhancement of bloody fingerprints on non-porous surfaces using Lac dye (Laccifer lacca)

Abstract

It is important that fingermark enhancement techniques are safe and simple to carry out. Many chemicals are widely used to enhance and develop bloody fingermark. However, the use of natural products for fingermark detection and examination has several advantages and challenges. In this study, Lac dye (Laccifer lacca) was used to enhance bloody fingermarks on various types of non-porous and porous materials. Bloody fingermarks were deposited using a depletion series technique on eleven different surfaces. To assess the efficiency of Lac dye stain, comparisons were performed with Amido black stain as a reference method. Results revealed the similarity between Lac dye and Amido black on non-porous materials, in terms of both fingermark grades, and color intensity. However, Lac dye showed relatively low performance for enhancing and developing bloody fingermarks on porous materials. This indicates that Lac dye can be beneficially used as an alternative to chemicals such as Amido black on a non-porous surface. Further study into Lac dye formulation on porous materials is recommended.

Keywords: Bloody fingermarks; Laccifer lacca; Non-porous materials.