Documents for a crime report

The following reports serve as the official sources of information for journalists covering crime stories. It is a must for them to obtain only official and verified from these documents and avoid speculation of any nature while dealing with sensitive subjects such as this.

1. FIR (First Information Report)

An FIR is the first official complaint registered by the police when they receive information about a cognizable offence. It is any serious crime, for which a police officer has the authority to arrest the accused without a warrant and initiate an investigation without a magistrate's prior permission. 

2. Charge Sheet

A charge sheet is the final report filed by police in court after investigation. It contains – evidence, witness statements, accused details and charges applied. It is filed before a Magistrate Court in Bengaluru.

News organisations can only declare a suspect as arrested after they have been presented in front of this magistrate and the charge sheet has been filed. Most reliable information about criminal cases is obtained from here.

3. B Report (Closure Report)

Police file B report when the complaint is fake, no offence happened or complaint was intentionally false. Case is closed unless complainant challenges it. This usually occurs due to false allegations.

4. C Report

This states that there was no criminal offence, only misunderstanding or civil dispute.

Cases such as property dispute between family members, or money dispute without fraud can be classified under civil cases and are tried under the civil court and thus are dismissed from criminal proceedings via a C-report.

5. Mahazar

Mahazar is a written record of crime scene observations which is prepared by police at crime location. It includes location details, evidence found, time and witness signatures. Details such as blood stains, weapons used, position of body etc. can be obtained through this. The mahazar serves as a crucial document for journalists to answer the 5W’s and 1H to effectively cover a crime story. They are able to provide details of the crime and even further investigation in some cases.

6. Panchanama

Panchanama means documentation done in presence of witnesses (panchas). Seizure of items, arrest, recovery of weapons are all documented. Mahazar is a type of Panchanama. For example, a knife recovered from accused house would require a seizure panchanama to be prepared.

7. Inquest

Inquest is preliminary investigation into cause of death. Done in cases of murder, suicide or suspicious death. It is conducted by Police officer or Executive Magistrate. It is done to check if death is suspicious, record injuries and identify body. Immediate investigation prior to post mortem helps journalists report on serious cases in a timely fashion.

8. Postmortem

Postmortem is medical examination of dead body which is done by a government doctor at hospital. In Bangalore, hospitals such as Bowring or Victoria’s conduct post mortems to give the police and journalists information to further the investigation. Its main purpose is to find exact cause of death, time of death and type of injuries. This provides crucial evidence, especially in murder cases.

Timeline of obtaining said documents as per course of investigation:

Crime happens → FIR registered → Investigation → Mahazar → Inquest → Postmortem → Charge sheet OR B Report OR C Report