How Dubai cops solved murder by looking into victim's bones

Dubai - No clear fingerprints were found on the knives used to kill the victim.

The Dubai Police have recently solved a murder mystery, with the help of high-tech tools that have linked knives to the homicide — even if no fingerprints were found.

The authorities found the weapons buried in a remote area in Dubai, far from the desert where the victim’s remains were discovered.

“(When we received a report about a corpse spotted in the desert), a specialised team was immediately dispatched to the site, but they were unable to find the murder weapon anywhere near the scene,” said Lt Eng Mohammad Al Shamsi, head of firearms and tool marks section at the Dubai Police.

A thorough investigation of the case led to six suspects being arrested. They had reportedly attacked the victim with knives over a dispute. “The suspects had intentionally buried crime tools in a different remote area to mislead detectives and divert investigation,” Al Shamsi said.

When the knives were discovered, it was impossible to lift fingerprints from them due to natural erosion and humidity. “At first, it was impossible to link crime tools neither to the suspects nor the case. Therefore, the evidence was handed over to Dubai Police’s forensic analysts who are specialised in tool marks in human bones and cartilage,” he said.

The forensic experts managed to collect tool mark prints from the victim’s wounds and bones and compared them with the knives. “Dubai specialists were able to link them to the murder case and provide concrete evidence that could stand in court and serve justice,” Al Shamsi said.

Major-General Dr Ahmad Eid Al Mansouri, director of the General Department of Forensics and Criminology at the Dubai Police, hailed the efforts of the team. “The successful application of micro-CT tool mark analysis reflects, once again, the Dubai Police’s keenness on keeping pace with the latest scientific advances across all fields and utilising available technologies in the policing work.”

• Dubai