Forensic surgeon Umadathan, the Sherlock Holmes of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The findings of former Kerala Police surgeon and Director of Medical Education, Dr B Umadathan, 73, who breathed his last on Wednesday at a private hospital here, had become crucial evidence in several sensational cases.

The son of academic and writer Prof K Balaramappanickar and G Vimala, Umadathan earned his MBBS and MD degrees from the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

He has served as the head of department and police surgeon atr Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Thrissur Medical Colleges. He had become the principal of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical college in 1995. He retired from government services as the Director of Medical Eduction in 2001. He is survived by wife Padmakumari, sons U ramanathan, U Viswanathan, daughters Roopa and Roshni.

His book, 'Oru police surgeonte ormakurippukal' (A police surgeons's memoirs), has become an inspiration for a number of movies and crime stories.

Former DGP Jacob Punnoose on Umadathan

Kerala’s own Sherlock Holmes – this best defines Dr. B Umadathan. Apart from the standard medical and forensic tests, the police forensic surgeon’s sharp observations and ‘detective’ interjections had proven vital in many cases in the past.

In the 1980’s, a murder in the upmarket residential area of Jawahar Nagar in Trivandrum came to light. As commissioner of police, I sought Umadathan’s help. The victim, Bhavani, was found strangulated using a ‘dhoti.’ The ‘dhoti,’ slightly burnt, was found nearby. Umadathan examined the cloth and said, “the murderer is a poor tailor.” The dhoti was sewn together meticulously at 10 places, and, Umadathan inferred that a professional tailor alone could do that. And the finding wasn’t misplaced – the accused was a an Anchal-based and a relative of the victim. The police arrested the man that evening.

Umadathan, on examination of hair picked up from the ‘dhoti.’ Also found the involvement of a juvenile in the crime.

Bilkis case

In 1988, a woman named Bilkis was found dead in Pattambi, Palakkad. Initially, reports said Bilkis died on the way to the hospital after she was found hanging.

The family said Bilkis committed suicide in despair due to desolation as her husband worked in the Gulf.

The high court directed me to investigate the case. I was the superintendent of police, Palakkad, then. I turned to Umadathan again. He examined the house. He said in Bilkis-like scenarios, if the victim survives the attempt to hang, the chances of the person dying on the way to the hospital was too sparse. Umadthan did a cellophane test on the wooden truss from which Bilkis tried to ‘hang herself’ using a saree. Umadathan did the same test on the saree and examined the saw dust and other particles. The samples varied widely. The police rubbished the suicide theory and in further investigation arrested a relative who strangulated Bilkis to death.

Umadathan started the cellophane tests in Kerala. The test is done on the hands of those who hang themselves. If the test finds traces of the rope or cloth used to hang, it indicates a suicide and vice-versa.

Brain which studied the skull

Umadathan’s skills proved vital to the outcome of many unusual death cases in the 1980’s. He extensively used the superimposition method to ascertain he identity of a dead person by studying the skull.

Umadathan tread a path of his own and did not limit himself to the standard operating procedures. To infer and conclude, he analysed post-mortem results and the crime execution patterns. This is what made him the first medico-legal adviser of Kerala police.