KSUM-backed pvt forensic lab Alibi becomes first in south India to get NABL accreditation

Alibi Global Private Limited, a startup registered under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)—becoming the first private forensic lab in south India to get the recognition.

Based in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, Alibi is the first cyber forensics private lab in the country. The NABL accreditation to Alibi is for a period of two years, a KSUM release said here on Monday.

The startup has been working exclusively in the domain of cyber forensics, providing training and support to law enforcement agencies, including Kerala Police, Tamil Nadu Police, National Crime Records Bureau, CERT-IN, Andaman and Nicobar Police, C-DAC, and also to private clients, for the last two years.

Commenting on the recognition, Alibi's Chairman and Managing Director Gandhimathi Balan said the reports furnished by NABL-accredited laboratories are accepted internationally and enjoy high credibility in the court of law as well.

Alibi Technical Director Bhadran V K said the cyber forensic lab of Alibi possesses internationally-acclaimed forensic software and hardware tools that could be used to acquire evidence from CCTV videos, advanced mobile phone devices, computers, servers, networks, and other storage devices.

Recovery of deleted files from mobile and computer devices comes all within the scope of NABL accreditation granted to Alibi.

Forensic experts from Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Hyderabad and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Goa conducted several rounds of stringent audits, after which the accreditation was granted to Alibi.

The cyber forensic engineers of Alibi, about 95% of whom are women, conduct the analysis and cyber investigation of various digital forensic cases assigned to them, adhering to stringent policies and guidelines of NABL, according to former Joint Director of Kerala State Forensic Science Lab Dr Sunil SP, who currently heads the operations team of Alibi.

Alibi Founder Director Sowmya Balan said the company is aiming to be a Centre of Excellence in Cyber forensics and has plans to expand globally soon. She added that KSUM has given great support and opportunities for exposure to Alibi in its strive for growth.

KSUM is the nodal agency of Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.