Forensic science is coming to the aid of insurers and the body parts may, in the long run, be of more use than a fraud charge.

Take the case of Pichet Ponrtantipong, 38, who claimed last October that he had accidentally cut off his left thumb while cooking. He claimed an insurance payout of Bt16 million. But his insurers are now determined to prove his claim is fraudulent, and that the thumb was deliberately lopped off.

It wasn't long after his claim that police began to question him about an alleged fraud, on the assumption that he had intentionally cut off his thumb for the money. If that were proven, Pichet could never be accused of undervaluing his missing digit. After all, Bt16 million is not bad for the loss of a left-hand grip and a convenient thumbprint stamp.

At a press conference yesterday, the Thai General Insurance Association's Miscellaneous Insurance Subcommittee set out to prove the claim was fraudulent, to support the action of insurers that have now declared all policies held by Pichet null and void.

But the association didn't simply cite circumstantial evidence. In best CSI style, it produced a forensic expert to show that the thumb was unlikely to have been lost in an accident.

Kitti Sethchat, a Police Department forensic official, began by explaining that the insured had claimed that the thumb was inadvertently tossed on to the stove after being severed, and was severely burnt.

But Kitti produced an X-ray image showing that the first cut was not deep enough to separate the thumb. There were also signs that it had been pulled off after the first chop.

Then Kitti questioned Pichet's claim that the accident had happened while he was cooking. Kitti pointed out that when people are cooking, their hands are normally holding something in a grip.

However, Pichet's hand had been open, as if prepared for the chop.

The insurance association said that while the case is not yet finalised, it wanted to raise the profile of the case to prevent copycats from risking their lives for insurance payouts.

In the past, there have been cases of people driving old cars into solid objects with insurance claims firmly in mind, and people have chosen to torch old buildings, accidentally killing innocent people unexpectedly occupying the premises.

But this case is a little more bizarre. If its is finally proven to be an act of fraud, the agony of the initial chop may appear slight in the pain of criminal prosecution - as well as the loss of a formerly useful body part.

Jeerawat@nationgroup.com