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

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Assassination Training Manual of US (JULY 19, 2010), “For secret assassination, either simple or chase, the contrived accident is the most effective technique. When successfully executed, it causes little excitement and is only casually investigated”. About 1.24 million people die each year as a result of road traffic accidents. Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among young people, aged 15–29 years. Half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Without action, road traffic crashes are predicted to result in the deaths of around 1.9 million people annually by 2020 [1]. In India, the RTA cases are usually investigated by the police under Section 304 (A) of the Indian Penal Code. And, often it is seen that RTA cases are being handled very casually by the investigating officers. Usually, there is obvious lack in-depth investigation to determine the exact manner of death. Nevertheless, similar scenarios are observed in other parts of the world, in both underdeveloped and many developed countries. Generally, vehicles are not traced in hit and run cases which are registered under S.187 of Indian motor vehicle act. Many times relatives of RTA victim are not happy with investigation because they suspecta possibility of murder. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to find meticulously planned homicide cases appear as an accident. A murdered victim may have been thrown on the road-way or on a railway-track to produce a simulated case of accident or suicide. Sometimes in RTA cases, natural deaths could be the cause of death in which injuries sustained are not sufficient to cause death. There are two commonly observed lacunae in the investigations of RTA cases: