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An Introduction to Questioned Documents

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Textbook of Forensic Science

Abstract

Documents are frequently discovered at crime scenes and serve as crucial evidence. They convey information through letters, symbols, figures, or other methods. This chapter provides an overview of various aspects related to documents, including handwriting analysis, forgery detection, identification of alterations and obliterations, and more. The chapter commences with an exploration of unique identifiers of individuals through their handwriting characteristics, such as letter formations, spacing, slant, pressure, and rhythm. Furthermore, the chapter scrutinizes the various alterations and obliterations that are frequently encountered in questioned documents. It highlights contemporary techniques utilized to remove or modify content, such as erasures, chemical treatments, and overwriting. The chapter also covers various methods for detecting these alterations, such as utilizing different light sources, electrostatic detection, infrared imaging, and more.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. GH Raisoni University, Saikheda, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Samiksha Landge

  2. Institute of Excellence in Higher Education, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Rajendraprasad Pawar

  3. Department of Forensic Science, Government Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

    Rasika Kakad, Ashish Badiye & Neeti Kapoor

Authors
  1. Samiksha Landge
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  2. Rajendraprasad Pawar
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  3. Rasika Kakad
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  4. Ashish Badiye
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  5. Neeti Kapoor
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neeti Kapoor .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biology and Serology Division, Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Pankaj Shrivastava

  2. University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Jose Antonio Lorente

  3. School of Forensic Sciences, The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Ankit Srivastava

  4. Department of Forensic Science, Government Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

    Ashish Badiye

  5. Department of Forensic Science, Government Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

    Neeti Kapoor

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Landge, S., Pawar, R., Kakad, R., Badiye, A., Kapoor, N. (2023). An Introduction to Questioned Documents. In: Shrivastava, P., Lorente, J.A., Srivastava, A., Badiye, A., Kapoor, N. (eds) Textbook of Forensic Science . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-1377-0_12

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