No crucial evidence destroyed in Nampally fire, says Telangana forensic lab director Shikha Goel

Hyderabad: Telangana Forensic Science Laboratory (TGFSL) director Shikha Goel on Sunday dismissed allegations that crucial evidence in high-profile cases was destroyed in the fire that broke out at the Nampally FSL campus.

She also asserted that all key forensic reports and materials were already safe and submitted to courts well before the incident.

Fire at Nampally FSL: Timeline of events

Addressing the media after inspecting the fire-affected premises, Shikha Goel said the fire broke out at 10:08 am on Saturday and was first noticed by an FSL employee, who immediately alerted senior police officials. Firefighters reached the spot by 10:30 am and brought the blaze fully under control by 1:30 pm.

She said the fire spread across portions of the FSL building, including the laboratory areas, training hall, library, and HRD room. Authorities are currently assessing the extent of property damage, while police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Vote-for-Note case reports ‘completely safe’

Responding to widespread speculation, the FSL Director categorically stated that forensic reports related to the 2015 ACB vote-for-note case were not affected by the fire.

“All reports and material evidence connected to the case were submitted to the ACB court as early as 2021. The forensic laboratory had already handed over its complete findings to the ACB,” she clarified, adding that no case-related evidence was stored at the FSL at the time of the fire.

She further noted that the original material evidence in the case is in the custody of the ACB authorities, not the forensic laboratory.

Phone tapping case: Limited damage, recovery planned

On the 2024 Panjagutta Police Station phone tapping case, Shikha Goel said that 136 items of material evidence had been received by the FSL for analysis.

“Out of these, all but seven items had already been examined and returned to the court. During the fire, seven materials were damaged. We are confident that the data can be retrieved using technical methods,” she said.

False propaganda allegations

The FSL Director expressed concern over what she termed as false propaganda, suggesting that evidence in two sensitive cases had been destroyed.

“These claims are completely baseless. The forensic laboratory follows strict protocols to ensure the safety and timely submission of evidence to courts. Even in unforeseen incidents, our teams have mechanisms to retrieve and restore data wherever possible,” she said.

40–50 computers damaged; biological and physical evidence secure

The incident has sparked political controversy, with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleging that valuable data was destroyed in the blaze.

Meanwhile, Nampally police have registered a case and are probing the incident. Preliminary police assessments indicate that 40–50 computers, hard disks, pen drives and documents were damaged.

However, police officials said that biological and physical evidence, such as blood samples, hair, fingerprints, weapons, bullets, DNA samples and seized electronic devices, are believed to be secure, pending final verification.

Shikha Goel said a detailed report on the cause of the fire and the exact extent of losses would be made public once the investigation and damage assessment are completed.