The Metric Analysis of Footprints

Over the years, many studies have been conducted to estimate age, sex, stature, etc. of an individual from footprints. Footprint is one important evidence which cannot be erased completely as ¿it needs to go somewhere to do something¿. The study compares inked footprints of individuals of Himachal Pradesh and Delhi to understand the basic differences between the footprints of the two communities. Measurements of various angles and lengths were performed using protectors and scales. Various parameters were set and analyzed. It was observed that parameters foot breadth, foot length, alpha angle, etc. gave good significant results whereas first toe length, phalange marks and foot index, etc. gave non- significant results when the two populations were compared. Various statistical formulas were applied, and it was observed that, 11 out of 25 parameters displayed significant results. The study suggests that using these 11 significant parameters, an expert can estimate whether the footprint found at any crime scene belongs to Delhi population or Himachal Pradesh population.