2-year-old’s body found near park, police took two months to file FIR

Sources said the police’s focus was on locating her family before registering an FIR.

When contacted, DCP (Outer) Sameer Sharma confirmed that police received a PCR call on May 2 that an unidentified body of a child was found in a drain near a park. “We visited the spot, and the scene of crime was also visited by the crime forensic team and the dog squad. Her body was preserved in the mortuary of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and all possible efforts were made to ascertain her identity,” Sharma said.

He said they also informed all agencies concerned — CBI, National Crime Records Bureau, Crime Record Officer, Zipnet and Doordarshan — in an effort to establish her identity. “A photograph of the body was also published in several newspapers, but no clue was found. On May 24, her post-mortem was conducted and the autopsy report came in late June, wherein four reddish abrasions on the forehead and left face and dilation in private parts were mentioned,” he said.

“In her report, cause of death was given as cerebral damage as a result of blunt force/object impact. Other injuries were found to be suggestive of sexual assault. Since the nature of injury and opinion about death did not look consistent, as injuries were mentioned only as abrasions, the matter was consulted with legal experts and senior officers, and now we have registered an FIR and are investigating the matter,” he said.

Asked about the delay on registering the FIR, he said there was no delay and pointed to confusion in the findings of the autopsy report.

As per standing order regarding unidentified dead bodies, “Keeping in view the autopsy report and the circumstances of the case, the ACP, SHO and IO should examine whether it is a case of homicidal, suicidal, accidental or natural death. If it is a case of cognizable crime, a case should be registered forthwith under the appropriate sections of law and taken up for investigation.”