Policeman accused in Odisha minister's murder undergoes polygraph test in Gujarat

PTI Updated: February 10, 2023 23:44 IST

Bhubaneswar, Feb 10 (PTI) Policeman Gopal Das, who allegedly shot dead Odisha's Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, underwent a polygraph test in Gujarat's Gandhinagar on Friday, officials said.
    He will also a undergo a narco-analysis test and the process for it was underway, they said.
    The tests were being carried out at the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) in Gandhinagar after permission was granted by a court in Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district, they added.
    In a polygraph test, efforts are made to ascertain whether the subject is lying by tracking breathing rate, blood pressure, perspiration and heart rate, while the person is asked various questions.
    A narco-analysis test involves intravenous administration of a drug that causes the subject to enter into a stage of anaesthesia, during which the person becomes less inhibited and is more likely to divulge information, which would usually not be revealed in the conscious state.
    An eight-member team of investigators, led by Additional Director General (Crime Branch) Arun Bothra is in Gandhinagar for the polygraph and narco-analysis tests of the accused.
    Earlier, a team from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in New Delhi conducted the forensic psychological assessment and layered voice analysis (LVA) on Gopal Das at Jharsuguda.
    A medical board, comprising psychiatrists, has conducted a detailed study of his mental health. The report is awaited, officials said.
    Das will be next produced before the court on February 13.
    The police are also analysing the financial transaction of his family members as they investigate to ascertain the motive of the murder.
    On January 29, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Das had fired two rounds from his service revolver at the minister in Brajarajnagar where he went there to attend a programme. He later died at a hospital in Bhubaneswar.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)