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Abstract Background The use of water to destroy evidences in criminal cases is common. It is uncommon to believe the usefulness of evidences recovered underwater in terms of its forensic significance regarding personal identification especially by the investigating officers, who are responsible to collect and analyse the evidences. In this study, two main factors were considered which may impact the condition of fingerprint evidences: firstly, the time duration for which the evidence remains submerged in water (0.5 h, 24 h, 48 h, 120 h), and secondly, the succession or the number of prints given by the same finger one after the other (5 subsequent prints). Results The result of this study revealed the successful development of latent fingerprint using Robin blue and silver magnetic powders on 8 different non-porous surfaces. Conclusion The developed prints provide significant individual characteristics; hence, the evidentiary value of the objects found submerged in water should not be undervalued.

Abstract Background Generally, material scientist discussing new-fangled nanotechnology research and its conversation turns to the commercial aspects or potential issues around health, safety, and the environment. In recent years, few of them have been shown interest to apply nanotechnology for forensic purposes which are related to societal or community issues. Main text In forensic science, nanotechnology majorly is applied to develop reactive (‘smart’) materials; micro-chip technology; nanomanipulators; nanoimaging tools for visualization. These advances in forensic technologies have mainly been focused on analytical techniques. These techniques are based on nanomaterials that are able to provide either improved performance over conventional techniques or enable to collect information from a crime scene that would not otherwise have been possible ever. Moreover, some crucial forensic issues such as cost and time effectiveness, wide availability, accuracy, and reliability of results are major concerns in forensic investigation and security. Conclusion With the help of this review article, an attempt was made to elucidate how nanotechnologies could be crucial in addressing current forensic investigation issues such as collection and analysis of evidence from the crime scene and how these technologies may be helpful in preventive forensic and security measures.