Fundamentals of the Interrogation Techniques

Quality interrogation is an essential ingredient of any investigation. Unfortunately it also happens to be the most neglected aspect of any investigating process owing to certain extraneous considerations. Firstly the Interrogator himself is a tearing hurry to claim the kudos for the speedy results. Equally responsible is the media, both print and visual who it appears, at times, suffer from the “breaking news syndrome”. Public too could be blamed who suffer form the insatiable appetite for instant results. All these infirmities adversely affect the investigation which result in the miscarriage of justice since any faulty investigation can never withstand the judicial scrutiny by a court of law. Possibility of an innocent person going behind the bar cannot be ruled out if any investigation has been built up on ill conceived prejudices and bias. There are hardly any books on interrogation techniques except for outdated manuals available with various departments engaged in the investigation of criminal or civilian offences. The author has vast experience of interrogation techniques first as a Brigade Intelligence Officer in a committed infantry Brigade opposite Pakistan and then in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau and antismuggling preventive customs commissionerate in Mumbai for over two decades. The statistics in relation to the economic offences scenario on India have been incorporated courtesy Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Narcotics Control Bureau. The language of the book is simple but lyrical which can mould any raw officer into a model interrogator. The interrogation basically being the battle of wits, the usefulness of the book to police and various other intelligence agencies of the Government Department cannot be overemphasized.