Delhi minor rape: Cops exhume body of girl’s child to establish DNA link, cause of death

Delhi Police on Tuesday said they exhumed the body of an 11-day-old infant from a ground in Bihar’s Begusarai as part of an investigation into the rape and impregnation of a 14-year-old Delhi-based girl

Delhi Police on Tuesday said they exhumed the body of an 11-day-old infant from a ground in Bihar’s Begusarai as part of an investigation into the rape and impregnation of a 14-year-old Delhi-based girl. Officials familiar with the case said they have conducted a DNA test and a post-mortem examination to check whether the girl was raped by her 55-year-old landlord in Rohini, as alleged by the girl’s parents, and how the baby—a key part of the investigation in the rape case—died.

Police said that while her parents went to work during the day, the landlord, who lives in the same house, abused her. (Representative photo)

Results of the autopsy and DNA test are awaited, police said.

Police said a complaint was filed on April 16, after the girl gave birth to the boy, and a case under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act was registered. According to the complaint, the girl was allegedly abused by her landlord for months since May 2024. The family found out about it in March, but did not immediately report it to the police, they said.

A senior police officer, requesting not to be identified, said, “The minor told us that her parents are daily wage workers and her mother also works as a domestic help. While her parents went to work during the day, the landlord, who lives in the same house, abused her. For months, she was harassed, tortured and sexually abused resulting in a pregnancy. The minor further said she hid the pregnancy from her parents because the landlord lived in the same house and threatened her.”

DCP (Rohini) Amit Goel said the accused was arrested within two days of the complaint being filed.

Police said the accused denied all allegations and accused the police of framing him. Proceedings in the case started at the Rohini court earlier this month after the police requested to exhume the body of the minor’s baby.

The senior officer cited above said, “The accused was arrested based on testimonies of the child and the parents. Her medical was done but the rape had happened a long time back. Also, the minor and the family had returned to Begusarai as they wanted to stay away from the accused.”

Police said that as they began looking for more concrete evidence and tried to contact the minor’s family, they found the baby, a key piece of evidence, had died.

“The boy was alive and we all had seen him when the FIR was registered. The minor’s mother told us and the court that the baby died due to illness when he was around 11 days old. They buried him in a ground near their residence and returned to Delhi. We immediately sent a team to exhume the body as the boy’s DNA test can confirm the rape allegations…” a second investigator said on condition of anonymity.

DCP Goel said the court issued an order last week directing the district magistrate of Begusarai to ensure the exhumation of the child’s body, conduct a post-mortem examination and carry out proper cremation.

“A local police team and the investigator went to Begusarai on Saturday. They, along with local staff, performed the exhumation between Sunday and Monday. The body was preserved at Sadar Hospital in Bihar and a post-mortem examination was conducted. Further investigation is underway,” the investigator said.