Abstract

It is very often revealed, homicide by poisoning, strangulation, torture, rape, bride burning cases are suppressed to present the crime as suicide burning. Such modus operandi is adopted by perpetrators to conceal the facts and misguide the investigation. In order to investigate burning cases, it is very much essential to visit the undisturbed crime scene to ascertain homicide/suicide burning since many post incident evidence are helpful to distinguish between homicide and suicide burning, further supported by autopsy findings. In one case, the husband, wife and kid were staying together at their own house. One day, the neighbours observed thick smoke was coming out from the roof top of the house. They screamed, forcibly entered and could find a burnt body lying on the roof top with a deformed plastic jerrycan nearby. The police was informed and immediately forensic team and police started the investigation. There was still presence of residual fire and smoke and many other post burning peculiarities were observed on the burnt body and the crime spot. The deceased’s body was sent for autopsy. The different post burning features observed on the crime spot, autopsy findings and criminal profile have been discussed and the mystery of death has been revealed.

Keywords

family feud, burnt body, deformed plastic jerrycan, tied leg, carbonaceous residue, autopsy findings