Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences (2015) xxx, xxx–xxx

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Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences

journal homepage: www.ejfs.org

Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent

fingerprint development on various surfaces
Ashish Badiye *, Neeti Kapoor

Department of Forensic Science, Govt. Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Received 24 November 2014; revised 2 January 2015; accepted 7 January 2015

KEYWORDS Abstract Latent fingerprints are subject to easy damage and destruction owing to their fragile nat-
Ultramarine blue; ure. Powder dusting is the easiest and fastest of the methods used for latent fingerprint development
Neel; (LFPD). In the present study, RobinÒ powder blue, a common household product (used as a post-
Forensic; wash whitening agent and popularly known in India as ‘neel’) which is user friendly, less expensive,
Pigment; non toxic, non hazardous, environment friendly, simple and easily available substitute to the com-
Fingerprint powder mercially available and costlier powders, has been used for LFPD. The powder was tested on
twenty-four strategically chosen surfaces, keeping in mind the high frequency at which they are
commonly encountered on various crime scenes. It was shown that this powder gives very good
results, even on most of the intricate and multi-colored surfaces tested.
ª 2015 Hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The International Association of Law and Forensic Sciences
(IALFS).

1. Introduction However, finding latent or invisible prints is much harder

Finger or thumb impressions are often encountered in civil and
criminal cases as major evidence.1–3 Whenever a person
touches, holds, and/or lifts any object, there is a more than cer-
tain chance that the fingerprints would get transferred onto the
touched surface(s). Fingerprints may be classified as latent
(invisible), visible and plastic prints. Locating a plastic or vis-
ible print at the crime scene is a comparatively simpler task
since they are generally visible to the searching naked eyes.
* Corresponding author at: Department of Forensic Science, Govt.
Institute of Forensic Science, R.T. Road, Civil Lines, Nagpur,
Maharashtra 440001, India. Tel.: +91 7387490889.
E-mail addresses: Badiye.ashish@gmail.com (A. Badiye), Neeti.
kapoor86@gmail.com (N. Kapoor).
Peer review under responsibility of The International Association of
Law and Forensic Sciences (IALFS).
and requires the utilization of proper visualization and/or
development technique(s). There are several methods for the
visualization of the latent prints, the choice of which depends
upon the surface under examination, ease of use, effectiveness
and efficiency as well as health and safety considerations
among other factors.4
Powder dusting is a method of physical enhancement that
relies on the mechanical adherence of fingerprint powder to
the moisture and oily components of skin ridge deposits left
at the surface.5 The effectiveness of the powder adhering to
the prints depends on the particle size and shape among other
things. Smaller and finer particles generally adhere more easily
than larger and coarser ones.6
Several researchers7–19 in the past have attempted the use of
various conventional, unconventional and commercially avail-
able powders, dyes and pigments for latent fingerprint develop-
ment. In the present work, we demonstrate the use of RobinÒ

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
2090-536X ª 2015 Hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The International Association of Law and Forensic Sciences (IALFS).

Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
2 A. Badiye, N. Kapoor

Figure 1 Touch screen glass of smartphone.

Figure 4 Magnetic strip credit card (Back).

Figure 2 Phone back (Plastic).

Figure 5 Pen drive (White).

powder blue (whose major and active component is Ultrama-

rine blue pigment), a common post wash fabric whitening
agent, popularly known in India as ‘neel’, for visualization
of latent fingerprints.
The name ‘‘Ultramarine’’ comes from Latin ultra = -
beyond and mare = sea.20 Ultramarine blue is an inorganic
and complex compound formerly obtained from lapis lazuli
but now prepared artificially. This famous blue pigment dates
back to the early 19th century. Chemically, these are the most
complex out of all inorganic class pigments.21 It consists of
sodium, aluminum, silicate lattices and polysulphide (-S-S-S)
chains. It is produced by heating kaolin, sodium carbonate,
sulfur and other inexpensive ingredients together.22 The blue
color of the pigment is due to the S3-radical anion, which con-
Figure 3 Credit card (Front). tains an unpaired electron. In chemical composition and struc-

Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces
Figure 6 Pen drive (Black).
Figure 7 Computer mouse.
ture it is similar to the natural ultramarine and has an approx-
imate chemical formula Na6–10Al6Si6024S2–4 or 3Na2OÆ2Al2-
Æ6SiO2Æ2Na2S or 3Na2OÆ3Al2O3Æ6SiO2Æ2Na2S which can vary
with the manufacturing conditions, purity and the different
proportions of the ingredients.23
Ultramarine blue is the most commonly used laundry blue.
It is a fine powder and gives violet blue color. It is not harmful
to the fabrics and is resistant to heat and alkali. It is very safe,
environment friendly, multipurpose and non-hazardous. The
available toxicity information indicates that Ultramarine blue
is of low or no toxicological concern. This is consistent with
the fact that it is insoluble; and therefore is likely to be poorly
absorbed by any route in the body.24 The synthetic manufac-
turing process and control over its physical, chemical, and
color characteristics enable it to be produced in many other
types, which are readily used by plastic, printing ink, paints
Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
3
Figure 8 Keyboard (Spacebar).
Figure 9 Door knob.
including children’s finger-paints, modeling clays, cement,
soaps, cosmetics (eye shadows and eye pencils), detergents,
paper and many other industries. It has excellent light-fastness
and heat stability (up to 350 °C), due to these advantages it is
preferred over other organic pigments and dyes.23–28 Synthetic
ultramarine is more vivid blue than natural ultramarine, since
the particles are rounded, finer and more uniform.28
To the best of our knowledge, the use of this powder has
not been attempted in the past for LFPD and/or on the sur-
faces selected by us, hence, this study.
2. Methodology
Ten healthy adult subjects (aged 18–28 years), free from any
disease, disorder or pathology of hand were selected. They
4 A. Badiye, N. Kapoor
Figure 10 Glass.
Figure 11 Steel cupboard painted surface.
were informed about the nature, purpose and method of the
study. The subjects were asked to wash and dry their hands
clean, to eliminate the possibility of contamination by any
extraneous substance, dirt or dust. Keeping the palm in closed
position (fist) for around 2 min ensured fair amount of sweat-
ing. The participants were then asked to hold/touch the given
objects surfaces as they would normally do in daily routine,
thereby leaving their fingerprints on them. After deposition,
the prints were left as such (in open) for around 24 h in labo-
ratory (room) condition. The experiment was carried out in the
month of March–April. The temperature ranged between 32
and 43 °C and relative humidity around 64–73%. The RobinÒ
powder blue manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd.
was used to develop latent fingerprints on all the surfaces. It
was noted that the powder if kept in the open may form
Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
Figure 12 Lock.
Figure 13 Stainless steel.
clumps probably due to the absorption of moisture from the
surrounding atmosphere and for better results it is advisable
to keep it in the oven for around 15 min at 60 °C. The powder
was then kept in sterile air-tight glass bottles and sealed.
Powdering method using a suitable (soft feather) brush has
been used, wherein, the powder blue was sprinkled over the
surface carrying the latent fingerprints. Excess powder was
removed by gentle tapping and by slowly using the brush in
order to get clear prints. As a precautionary measure (to be)
routinely followed in forensic practices, hand gloves and face
masks were used by the operators. To exclude the possibility
of intra-developer and inter-developer errors, both the authors
independently performed the development procedure thrice
after an interval of two-two days.
Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces
Figure 14 Silver surface.
Figure 15 Keychain.
Photographs were taken using a DSLR camera (Nikon
D3100- 14.2 MP- AF-S NIKKOR 18–55 mm lens kit). For
best results, use of tripod is recommended. The photographs
clicked were transferred on to a laptop and were cropped
and resized in ‘‘Microsoft Office Picture Manager’’ software.
The twenty-four surfaces used were: touch screen of smart-
phone (Corning Gorilla Glass), phone back (plastic), credit
card (front), Magnetic strip of credit card (back black por-
tion), pen drive (white and black), computer mouse, computer
keyboard (spacebar), metallic door knob, glass, steel cupboard
(painted surface), lock, stainless steel, silver surface, keychain,
electric switch, currency coin, glossy laminated cover page,
simple paper, multicolored glossy paper, wooden door, plastic
petrol can, plastic water bottle, inner surface of rubber glove.
These surfaces in the form of evidence are generally
encountered at the scene of crime of burglary, house break
Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
5
Figure 16 Electric switch.
Figure 17 Currency coin.
and theft (HBT), trespassing, data stealing or theft (at home,
office and/or corporate setup), arson, etc.
3. Result and discussion
The use of RobinÒ powder blue (whose major component is
Ultramarine blue pigment) in the present study proved highly
efficacious for the development of latent fingerprints (Figs. 1–
24). Powder dusting-light brushing method used developed
clearly visible ridges. Good contrast was seen owing to the
bright blue color of the developed prints on light-colored sur-
faces [Fig.: pen drive-white, credit card (front)]. Appreciable
results have been obtained on multicolored surfaces too [mul-
6 A. Badiye, N. Kapoor

Figure 18 Glossy laminated cover page. Figure 20 Multicolored glossy paper.

Figure 19 Simple paper. Figure 21 Wooden door.

ticolored glossy paper]. Clearly visible ridge details have been
observed on black as well as dark surfaces (phone back, mag-
netic strip of credit card, keyboard, mouse, pen drive). Due to
very good contrast, the prints were easy to be photographed.
Tape lifting of the developed prints was also possible.
Previously, the success rate has been low in regard to cer-
tain tricky surfaces such as door knobs, keys, and gloves
among many others. Therefore, efforts have been made to
examine the possibility of developing prints on these unlikely
items and surfaces that are most often ‘touched’ but are fairly
ignored in the process of investigation. A little extra time and
effort by the investigator in this regard will definitely help
reveal the fingerprint details that may help solve many routine
cases (burglary, theft, etc.).
Although the method is simple and efficient, care has to be
taken while powdering, for, the marks are very sensitive and
can easily get smudged and become unusable. Problems that
are probable to be encountered during the process include
moistening of the powder, over-powdering and brushing.
While, moisture from the powder can be removed by short
oven drying but rest of the two are solely dependent on the
skills of the investigator.
The results obtained in the current preliminary study were
in accordance to many other researchers who also demon-
strated the potential of many other common powders for effec-
tive latent print development. Kumari et al.7 presented a new
powdering method (synthetic food and festival color – gulal)
for the development of latent fingerprints on different sub-

Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces
Figure 22 Plastic petrol can.
Figure 23 Plastic water bottle.
strates as preliminary studies and observed that the application
of colors to latent finger prints gives clear results particularly
on aluminum matrices. Garg et al.8 used, turmeric powder, a
common ingredient in Indian food, to decipher the latent fin-
gerprints on nine different substrates and found that it gives
very clear results in majority of the surfaces. Singh et al.9
had used silica gel G powder (usually used in TLC plates prep-
aration) to develop latent fingerprints on eight commonly
encountered different substrates i.e., plastic, glass, ordinary
mirror and metallic substrates, aluminum foil sheet, carbon
paper, matchbox, cardboard, glossy-painted wooden sub-
strates, top and writable surface of CD and glazed colored
magazine paper surface. They observed very clear results on
most of the substrates with clear ridges.
Please cite this article in press as: Badiye A, Kapoor N Efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for latent fingerprint development on various surfaces, Egypt J Forensic Sci
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2015.01.001
7
Figure 24 Rubber glove (Inside).
4. Conclusion
Our current study is basically a preliminary observation aimed
to bring forth the efficacy of RobinÒ powder blue for the
development of latent fingerprints on a wide range of surfaces.
It can be concluded from the present study that this commonly
available; less expensive; non-toxic powder can be successfully
used for the decipherment of latent fingerprints deposited on a
broad spectrum of non-porous, porous and semi porous sur-
faces. It also proves to be efficient in visualizing prints on
multi-colored surfaces giving excellent results. It effectively
and successfully proves its usefulness in forensic latent finger-
mark development. Further studies with respect to the factors
affecting the prints under varied conditions of temperature,
humidity, seasonal variation, time lag, thorough comparison
between the new powder and conventional ones using split
marks, depletive series of marks, of different ages, etc. are in
progress.
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
None declared.
Ethical approval
Informed consent was obtained from the participants of the
study.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the individuals who willingly pro-
vided their samples for this work. We also acknowledge the
assistance rendered by Ms. Shagufa Ahmed, B.Sc. Forensic
Science student (Batch 2013-16), Institute of Forensic Science,
8 A. Badiye, N. Kapoor
Nagpur. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewer for their
valuable suggestions which have contributed to the enhance-
ment of the quality of this paper.
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