Homicide Disguised as Road-Traffic Accident: A Case-Report

Abstract

Road traffic accident (RTA) is one of the leading causes of death in both developing and developed countries. Usually RTA cases are very casually investigated by the police. Hence, there remains a high chance of a perpetrator escaping a meticulously planned homicide disguised as a road-traffic accident or a rail-way track accident. Gross mutilation of a body disrupts the evidence, resulting in a lack of prima-facie evidence. These are two commonly observed gaps in the investigations of RTA cases being exploited by criminals to malign a planned homicide with an accident. We have encountered a fatal accident case which was initially reported as a road traffic accident by the police and subsequently the manner of death turned out to be the result of a homicide. This has been diagnosed on post-mortem examination and crime scene investigation which helped the investigating officer conclude the manner of the case. The typical autopsy features and the crime-scene investigation provided a lead to the police-investigation team to apprehend the actual culprits. Hence, it is not prudent to rule out homicide or suicide while dealing with road or rail-way accident cases.