Adamas University

Name – Namrata Nath

Roll No. – 009

Subject – Forensic Photography

Department – English Language

and Literature

Topic Name – Aarushi Talwar

Murder Case
 Introduction of
Forensic Photography
Forensic photography is a specialized field
within forensic science that involves the
documentation and analysis of visual evidence
related to crime scenes, accidents, and other legal
investigations. It encompasses the use of
photography, along with other imaging
techniques, to capture detailed and accurate
images of physical evidence, injuries, and the
surrounding environment. These photographs
serve as critical documentation for crime scene
reconstruction, analysis by forensic experts, and
presentation in legal proceedings. Forensic
photographers must possess technical expertise
in photography, understanding of forensic
principles, and adherence to rigorous protocols
to ensure the integrity and reliability of the
photographic evidence they produce.
 Aarushi Talwar Murder Case
Case Summary:
The 2008 Noida double murder
case refers to the unsolved murders of 13-year-
old girl Aarushi Talwar and 45-year-old man
Hemraj Banjade, a live-in domestic worker
employed by her family. The two were killed on
the night of 15–16 May 2008 at Aarushi's home
in Noida, India.
The case aroused public
interest as a whodunit story. The sensational
media coverage, which included salacious
allegations against Aarushi and the suspects, was
criticised by many as a trial by media. When
Aarushi's body was discovered in her bedroom
on 16 May, Hemraj was missing at the time, and
was considered the main suspect. The next day,
Hemraj's partially decomposed body was
discovered on the terrace.
Location of that Place:
L-32, Sector-25, Noida,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
Date and Time of that incident:
15-16 May, 2008
00:00 to 06:00
Name of the Victims:
Aarushi Talwar, Hemraj Banjade.
Name of the Suspects:
Initially, suspicion fell on Hemraj,
the family's servant. Subsequently,
Arushi's parents Dr. Rajesh Talwar and
Dr. Nupur Talwar came under suspicion.
Type of that Attack:
Homicide.
Case Details:
Aarushi Talwar (24 May 1994 – 16 May 2008)
was a 13-year-old student at the Delhi Public School. She
was the daughter of a dentist couple, Dr. Rajesh Talwar
and Dr. Nupur Talwar. The family lived in an apartment in
Sector 25 (Jalvayu Vihar) of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Rajesh and Nupur practiced together at their clinic in
Sector 27 of Noida. They also saw patients at the Fortis
Hospital, where Rajesh headed the dental department. In
addition, Rajesh taught at the ITS dental college in Greater
Noida. Anita and Praful Durrani, another dentist couple
and close family friends of the Talwar’s, lived in the same
city. The couple shared the Noida clinic with the Talwar’s
Rajesh and Anita worked at the clinic in the mornings (9
am–12 pm), while Praful and Nupur worked there in the
evenings (5 pm–7 pm). The Durranis and the Talwar’s also
shared a clinic in Hauz Khas area of Delhi.
Yam Prasad Banjade, better known as
Hemraj, was the Talwar family's live-in domestic help and
cook. He belonged to Dharapani village in the
Arghakhanchi district of Nepal.
The Apartment:
The 1300 sq. ft. apartment had 3 bedrooms
(including servants' room), a drawing-dining room and a
servants' quarters, where Hemraj slept. Rajesh and Nupur
slept in the master bedroom, while Aarushi slept in an
adjacent room. Hemraj's room had a separate entry from
outside the apartment; it also opened into the apartment
from inside.
The entrance to the Talwar’s apartment at
Jalvayu Vihar had three doors: the outermost grill gate, a
middle mesh door, and the innermost wooden door. The
middle door and the wooden door were attached to the
same frame Hemraj's room had two doors - one door opened
inside the apartment, and the other door was located
between the two grill doors. The Talwar’s had the
outermost gate removed a year after the murders.

Evidences Gathered: (The Injuries)

The UP police did not cordon
off the crime scene immediately, and many people,
including the media, were freely roaming in the
apartment without any permission when the forensic
team arrived to gather evidence. According to the
CBI team, 90% of the evidence at the crime scene was
destroyed due to the police's negligence.
According to their post-mortem reports,
both Aarushi and Hemraj died between 12 am and 1
am. Both had been first attacked with a heavy blunt
weapon, which caused a "U/V-shaped" scar and
resulted in their deaths. Then their throats were slit
with a sharp weapon. There was no sign of asphyxia.
Injuries on the victim’s bodies
Aarushi Hemraj
The blunt injury was on
Aarushi's forehead, above
the left eye. The CBI
closure report also
mentions an injury on the
occipital bone, but The blunt injury was
Blunt injury according to the Talwar’s on the back of Hemraj's
lawyers, the only injury head.
mentioned by the post-
mortem report is one on the
left parietal bone. The blow
had caused a deep cut of
the size 4 cm x 3 cm, and a
blood clot of the size 8 cm x
2 cm in her brain.
The incision on Aarushi's
neck measured 14 cm x 6
cm. The blood had drained Hemraj had identical cuts
from the neck cuts, and on the neck at the same
Incised neck wounds there was no arterial position
spurting, indicating that
these wounds were caused
after the blunt injuries.
Aarushi’s Room:
Aarushi's body lay on her bed, covered
with a white flannel blanket. Her face was covered
with her schoolbag.
There was blood on the pillow,
the bed, the walls, the floor and the front side of the
bedroom door. However, there was no blood on the
toys, the schoolbag and the pink pillow kept on the
back of the bed. These items were within the range of
the splashed blood area, which indicates that they
were placed on the bed after the murder. Aarushi's
body lay undisturbed on the bed, and the bed sheet
was laid out smoothly. According to the CBI, no
bloodstains were found on the book The 3 Mistakes of
My Life, which Aarushi was supposedly reading
before her murder.
Hemraj’s Room:
On 1 July 2008, the first CBI team
recorded a statement by KK Gautam, describing Hemraj's
room as he found it on 17 May. According to this
statement, Gautam saw three glasses, two of which had
some quantity of liquor in them, while the third one was
empty. He also found three bottles: Kingfisher beer, a
Sprite and Sula whisky. Later, DNA of Hemraj was found
on the Kingfisher bottle, although according to CBI's
investigators, he was a teetotaler.
 Gautam also visited the servant's toilet
where he "found urine of more than one person". According
to the statement, he also saw a depression on Hemraj's
mattress pointing to the presence of three people in his
room. However, in 2012, Gautam told the court that there
was no liquor in any of the glasses. He also stated that he
had not suggested presence of three people in the room,
based on the state of the mattress. When questioned about
the discrepancies, he stated that the investigating officer
should be asked why his statements were not recorded
correctly. He stated that an officer from the first CBI team
"distorted several things he said, added things he did not
say, and produced a statement that suited the line of
investigation at the time."
Claims of Threat to Hemraj’s life:
According to the police,
Hemraj had told some of his friends about a threat to his
life. Although Hemraj's son-in-law Jeevan denied any
knowledge of such a threat, a social worker Usha Thakur
confirmed that five days before his murder, Hemraj had
told her that he feared for "his life and that of some of his
near and dear ones". Later, she told the investigators that
she could not do anything for him that day, since she had
rush to Bangalore due to a family emergency.
Nearly three years after the murder,
in March 2011, Hemraj's wife Khumkala, a resident of
Nepal, came to India. She moved a plea at the CBI court in
Ghaziabad, alleging that she suspected the Talwar’s to be
the murderers. She stated that Hemraj treated Aarushi like
his own daughter, but had strained relations with Rajesh.
She claimed when Hemraj visited Nepal in December 2007,
he had described Rajesh as a short-tempered person who
rebuked him for trivial things and even chased him to beat
him up. She also claimed that Hemraj had called her from a
PCO 15 days before his murder: He told her that Rajesh
and Nupur suspected him of leaking their family secrets.
When Rajesh's brother Dinesh visited their house, he also
looked upon Hemraj with suspicion. The three threatened
to kill him, if he dared leak the family's private information
to the outsiders. According to her, Hemraj was frustrated
with the Talwar’s behaviour and was searching for a new
job. Hemraj's wife also claimed that Hemraj had not sent
any money back home since December 2007, and had told
her that he had kept the money with the Talwar’s. But the
Talwar’s did not send her Hemraj's dues after his murder.
When asked why she had not made these revelations
earlier, she stated that she had faith in India's judiciary
until that point; her lawyer stated that she came from a
poor family and had little awareness.

Conclusion:
The Arushi Talwar case remains one of
India's most talked-about criminal mysteries, highlighting
issues of investigative competence, media sensationalism,
and public perception of justice. Despite legal proceedings
and multiple investigations, the truth behind Arushi's
murder and the subsequent death of Hemraj remains
elusive, leaving many questions unanswered.

My Opinion’s on the Case:

The case of Arushi Talwar is
indeed a complex and contentious one, with various
theories, accusations, and legal proceedings involved.
People's opinions on the case often vary depending on their
interpretation of the evidence presented, their perception of
the individuals involved, and their understanding of the
Indian judicial system.
Ultimately, opinions on the Arushi
Talwar case are subjective and influenced by personal
beliefs, perceptions, and interpretations of the available
information. It's a tragic case that continues to evoke
strong emotions and discussions surrounding the pursuit of
justice and the complexities of criminal investigations.