Lab: tests on TISS rape samples inconclusive

The Mumbai Police suffered a major setback in the case of gangrape of an American student of Tata Institute of Social Sciences TISS on Friday when the Forensic Science Laboratory stated in its report that the biological tests on samples taken from the victim and the accused had proven inconclusive. Sources said the vaginal swabs and clothes of the victim tested negative for semen traces.

We have not found any traces of semen in the vaginal swabs or the clothes of the victim. We did,however,detect traces of vaginal fluid on her undergarments. We found spots of semen on the clothes of one of the accused. Hence,we have sent a report to the police on Friday stating that the results of the tests are negative, said an official on condition of anonymity.

Officials said the delay in collecting the samples and sending them to the laboratory was undoubtedly the reason for the negative results. The victims clothes,swabs and other forensic samples reached the FSL by April 17. The victims samples had been taken on the night of April 12 at the 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, they said.

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.