BENGALURU: The gruesome murder of Mahalakshmi, whose body was dismembered into several pieces and stuffed in a refrigerator, has not only shocked commoners, but also forensic experts, who conduct autopsies on a regular basis.
The body of the 29-year-old woman, which was cut into more than 40 pieces, has perplexed the medical staff, who conduct several autopsies a day. “This is definitely a very rare case, which I have not seen in my career of over 25 years,” said a forensic pathologist, who recalled that he had conducted the autopsy on a body, which was cut into 10 pieces several years ago.
He opined that giving an accurate report in such cases is a bit difficult, as the examiners will have to go through each and every part of the mutilated body. “One of the purposes of an autopsy is to ascertain the cause of death. It will be an easy task if the body is not cut into pieces in murder cases, as we can identify stab injuries, ligature marks, fractures or even signs of struggle on the body.
We can also know the kind of weapon used to commit the murder. However, in this case, it is very difficult to know the exact cause of death. The examiners will have to go through each part of the body,” he said.
Another doctor said the examiners will have to examine the organs, like heart, kidney, etc, if they are intact, to ascertain whether they suffered a blow in the attack, which caused the death. “The fractures suffered will also help in finding the cause of death. As the body has been mutilated, it will be difficult to find out,” he added.
However, if the killer had administered any sedatives like a sleeping pill or poisoned her, before chopping the body, it would make the examiners job a bit easier, he opined, adding that a DNA test will have to be conducted in this particular case, while other forensic tests will help the investigators know the exact cause of death.