TOPIC:

ABSTRACT:

Death investigations are a tedious task in itself. Bodies found dead are always considered the case of homicide until the hypothesis ruled out and contrary proved. The mode of death can not merely be decided by the position of the body discovered. For instance, a body found hanging could not necessarily be a case of suicide. There can be a possibility of post-mortem hanging which defines that the person was first killed and then hung so as to give an impression of suicide. There in order to carry out an investigation related to the death of a person under suspicious circumstances, detailed step-by-step study of the instances is required.

KEYWORDS: 

Murder; Homicide; Suicide; Crime Scene Investigation; Rape;

INTRODUCTION:

In recent times, Forensic Science has proved to be of immense help in carrying out criminal investigations. Although to guarantee the surety of results it requires some specific requirements such as the proper security and preservation of crime scene, avoiding tampering of the evidences, ensuring the crime scene is not altered, etc.

One such case that shook the nation was Aarushi Murder case. It is also referred to as ‘Double Murder Case’. The lack of proper investigation by the police personnel failed all the aspects of Forensics used to carry out an investigation. The enquiry itself started with dozens flocking around casually at the crime scene, tampering and altering almost all of the authenticity of the crime scene. The circumstances were just ignored and the crime scene was cleaned so quickly leaving with no direct evidence. Several theories were formed but later, due to the lack of direct evidence the convicted were released, still leaving us with no final conclusion of the case till today’s date.

CASE STUDY REPORT:

A 14-year-old girl, only daughter to Mr. Rajesh and Mrs. Nupur Talwar was found murdered in Noida. The Talwars used to practice at a dental clinic and were away from the house till late evening. By the time they returned, their house was looked after by Hemraj, their servant who used to live with them. One ordinary night the Talwars after having dinner worked late till around 12am and later went to bed. In the morning, Bharti, their housemaid rang the doorbell and was received by Mrs. Talwar. This was unusual as receiving guests or any sort of people was Hemraj’s task. Mrs. Talwar told Bharti that the door might be locked from outside by Hemraj and therefore she had Bharti walk down and threw keys at her. Although on her way back up, Bharti was told that the door was only latched and not locked. However, as she entered, she discovered both the parents in their daughter’s room, crying. “Look what Hemraj has done”, they said. On seeing Aarushi lying in a pool of blood with her throat slit, she rushed to get neighbours and some medical assistance. When the police arrived, the scene had already become a failure and it proved to be almost futile to gather some sort of critical evidence. There were fingerprints of almost dozens on each object examined. After the room was examined, search in the other areas was started. The door to the terrace was found shut and oddly enough, the lock contained blood stains. Mr. Talwar kept strolling away the police by asking them not to waste their time on the lock and to search Hemraj instead. A day later, the decomposed body of Hemraj was found on the terrace lying in a pool of blood, also having being killed by slitting of throat. Now again the question arose, who killed them if no one entered the house that night.

FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF THE CRIME SCENE:

After several theories were formed, the final suspicion shifted on the Talwars. As there was no evidence of forceful entry neither were any unusual fingerprints found, it was concluded that the Talwars were the one to commit the crime. According to the proposed theory, the Talwars, late at night somehow discovered their daughter and Hemraj having sexual intercourse (either consensual or rape) and killed both of them in a fit of rage. A golf stick was presumed to be swung at them, explaining the lacerated wounds on their faces and later both their throats were slit using a kukri knife. The vagina of the deceased was cleaned in order to rule out any suspicion of rape and then the body of Hemraj was dragged to the terrace. They, then went out, locked the door from outside and returned through the door leading to Hemraj’s room. A bottle was whiskey was discovered at the dining table which possessed their fingerprints and also the bloodstains of both the victims. It was thus believed that they drank whiskey later at night after committing the crime. It was however impossible to obtain a proper sample.

PUNISHMENT:

The Talwars were convicted of murder, not one but two, and were sentenced lifetime imprisonment. They appealed in Allahabad High Court and later were acquitted on the basis lack of direct evidence.

CONCLUSION:

This case has been proved to be one of the most intriguing cases to solve. As the proceeding of inquiry itself has been handled with all negligence, the direct results of the case were highly affected. The crime scene, as it should, have to be secured and this is the first priority of the police personnel on arriving the scene. Thereafter, the evidences should be properly collected only after being photographed in the exact same position as discovered. The entry of mankind other then the one working on the case is to be strictly prohibited. Even a little detail discovered at a crime scene can be of highest significance.

Study and Written by: 

Ms Harshita Niranjan

Volunteer of AFRS