The remains of a baby born as the result of the rape of a minor has been ordered to be exhumed by a court in India in order for a paternity test to be done, police said on Monday.
This decision came after the teenager pulled back her allegations of rape against a businessman in Delhi
The teenager is aged between 14 and 15 and had prior accused the man of raping her multiple times when she had visited the capital New Delhi in February.
In October she gave birth to a baby who died a few days later.
The suspect was apprehended in July and held on a count of rape of a minor
In India allegations of rape being withdrawn is not an uncommon occurrence normally this happens under pressure from friends or family of the defendant or the offer of a financial settlement.
An anonymous investigator told AFP on Monday “The court has issued the orders but we are yet to get a copy. We will exhume the body as per the order for conducting DNA tests.”
In 2016 India recorded over 36,000 cases of rape or sexual assaults on minors according to government data.
A court in northern India had convicted the uncle of a niece, who he and an accomplice had repeatedly raped. DNA samples from her pregnancy were matched with his own leading to his arrest.