Prajwal Revanna: How sexual assault video screenshots were compared with former MP's body parts by SIT

Prajwal Revanna was careful to avoid his voice being captured in the videos as he filmed himself sexually abusing several women. The 34-year-old almost always talked in a hushed voice to avoid anybody recognising him. However, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the rape allegations against him reportedly used sample voice analysis to match his voice, as well as the pleas for help from the women. The forensic units were helped by medical experts from the fields of dermatology, urology, and orthopaedics to build a strong case against the former Janata Dal (S) Lok Sabha MP as they scientifically gathered one piece of evidence after another against him.

 

What is the 'Turkey technique'?

 

Prajwal Revanna not only disguised his voice but also hid his face from all the videos. Despite recording several videos of himself forcing himself on helpless women, he never showed his face in any of them. Rising to the challenge, the police SIT deployed an investigation technique that had never been used before in the entire country.

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The method is reportedly called the 'Turkey Technique' as it was popularised by law enforcement in Istanbul to nail men accused of child pornography who sent photos of their genitals to a child. Simply put, when graphical evidence of body parts exists, it is compared with newly taken photos of the accused's body parts at similar angles. The goal is to confirm if they look the same or have similar scars, moles, or other distinguishing marks.

 

 

In Revanna's case, it was the fingers, feet, ankles, palms, and genitals that needed to be forensically analysed as these were caught on camera during the filming of the rapes. Screenshots of the perpetrator's body parts were taken, and then Revanna was asked to position his body parts in similar angles. This was done to photograph them and compare the bend of his toes, as well as his bone structure and shape, with those visible in the video, Deccan Herald said in a report.

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The SIT team then reached out to experts from various medical fields, including dermatology, urology, and orthopaedics, to help the forensic team come to a conclusion. Employing scientific tools, these experts categorically established that it was indeed Prajwal Revanna who was sexually abusing the women in the videos. The method was completely legal under the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022, which gives a probe team the right to collect various types of measurements of the accused for identification during an investigation, the DH quoted the SIT members as saying.

 

Life sentence for Prajwal Revanna

 

The former Hassan MP on Saturday was sentenced to life in prison and a fine of ₹10 lakh for sexually assaulting a woman. Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat of the Special Court awarded the politician the maximum punishment under IPC Section 376(2)(n). He was convicted in the case on August 1.

India