Citation

Waghmare S, Phalke B, Kamble V, Zine KU. J. Ind. Acad. Forensic Med. 2015; 37(2): 212-214.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine)

DOI

10.5958/0974-0848.2015.00053.6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Violent asphyxial deaths are of common occurrence and constitute large group in medico-legal autopsies. Death due to constriction of neck may broadly result due to hanging, strangulation with ligature material or manual strangulation i.e. throttling. Sometimes due to external post-mortem appearance of the ligature marks on neck, it becomes difficult for the autopsy surgeon to clearly state whether the constriction of neck is homicidal or suicidal in nature. So in these cases, the expertise & high index of suspicion by "an expert forensic surgeon" is warranted to unmask the murder in disguise. Here we are presenting a case of man who supposed to hanged himself with the help of a nylon rope as per statement given by his wife and fabricating a scene of incidence as hanging and also the preliminary investigation by police as narrated before autopsy both were same. But a meticulous autopsy revealed that, cause of death is throttling and ultimately police registered a criminal case of murder against the alleged accused i.e. on his wife.

Language: en

Keywords

Homicide; Autopsy; Asphyxia; Ligature mark; Throttling