Lab tests on accused,victim fail to confirm rape

Officials said the delay in collecting the samples and sending them to the laboratory is undoubtedly the reason for the negative results. “The victim’s clothes,swabs and other forensic samples reached FSL on April 17. The victim’s samples had been taken on the night of April 12 at Rajawadi Hospital. The police collected the samples on April 15,a day after the FIR was registered. The clothes of the accused reached the laboratory on April 24.”

Earlier,doctors at Rajawadi had confirmed that the victim had washed herself before the swab samples were collected,about 12 hours after the alleged incident.

Doctors at Rajawadi,who will be required to provide evidence based on the victim’s medical evaluation on the night of April 12,dismissed the possibility of the medical evidence revealing major clues. “We didn’t find any traces of struggle or physical injuries on the victim while conducting her physical examination. But as she has mentioned in her statement that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident,she may have been semi-conscious or unconscious at the time of the alleged rape and might not have struggled. Our contribution hence would be no more than stating that there was no physical evidence of a struggle,” a doctor said.

The police refused to comment on the report,denying they had received it. “We are yet to receive the report and won’t be able to comment on the findings,” said senior police inspector NR Ambupe of Trombay police. Another police official categorically stated that circumstantial evidence and the victim’s statement are extremely important while the forensic evidence would have been an added benefit,but not indispensable. DC Dilip Sawant,too, denied receiving the forensic report.