India’s First Lady of Forensics

The Morning Brief interviews India’s first woman forensic scientist Dr. Rukmani Krishnamurthy.

Dr. Krishnamurthy was a feminist before feminism was a thing.

When she got three job options: a clerical position at RBI, a teacher and a forensic scientist, she took up the last one because of one question asked during the interview “What will a woman do in forensics?”

From detecting hazardous material as the root of a train accident to finding out critical details in the 26/11 terror attacks, Krishnamurthy’s story is many bestselling thrillers bound into one. 

About six years ago, Dr. Krishnamurthy set up Helik Advisory, one of India’s first private-sector forensic firms. Helik now deals with cases from various crime departments across the country, also from corporate watchdogs such as the Enforcement Directorate and Sebi. From getting into complex bank data servers in accounting fraud cases to analyzing handwriting anomalies to catch blackmailers in big corporate houses, it’s all in a day’s work for Krishnamurthy and her team.

Kiran Somvanshi and team TMB take a deep dive into this supersleuth’s world ranging from lie detectors and DNA tests to forged signatures and data theft. Credits: Sherlock, CID, Doordarshan, YRF and 20th Century Studios.

If you like this episode from Kiran Somvanshi, you can check out her other episodes on - Dividends from Drones, World Cancer Day: India’s Growing Cancer Bill, Royalty Raj: HUL reopens Pandora's Box and more!

You can follow our host Kiran Somvanshi on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin

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