Tests conducted on the exhumed bodies of two Shopian women whose deaths sparked off protests across the Valley amid allegations that they were raped and murdered are said to be indicative of “death by drowning”. Forensic experts are learnt to have verbally conveyed their findings to the CBI which is now probing the case.

Though the first autopsy report had suggested rape and murder, forensic experts, going by investigations following the exhumation, were veering around to the theory that the cause of death may have been different from what was being said earlier.

Nilofar Jan (22) and her sister-on-law Asiya (17) were found murdered in a stream in Shopian on May 30, a day after they went missing on their way home from an orchard.

Sources said four sharp cuts were found on Asiya’s head, suggesting a fall in the stream which may have led to death. There were no visible injury marks, however, on the body of Nilofar, the sources said.

Forensic experts from AIIMS were called in by the CBI to confirm the findings of the first post-mortem and look for additional forensic evidence from organs exhumed on September 28. The experts came to the conclusion that the younger victim did not appear to have been raped. The team took 23 samples, 15 from Asiya and eight from Nilofar.