The probe into a stray dog carrying the partially-eaten body of a newborn in its jaws on the premises of the Mhow government hospital prima facie revealed that the baby was possibly delivered in the toilet of the facility by a 17-year-old girl, officials said.

A security guard had spotted the canine clutching the body of the newborn in its jaws on Saturday.

Following the disturbing incident, a five-member team of doctors headed by district chief medical and health officer (CMHO) visited the hospital Sunday and launched investigations.

The team, including CM HO Dr BS Saitya, Dr Sharad Gupta, Dr Hemant Gupta, Dr Roopali Joshi and Dr Bhupendra Shekhawat, is trying to piece together the circumstances surrounding the incident, facility in-charge Dr HR Verma told reporters on Sunday evening.

The team recorded statements of all paramedics and staffers, including doctors, nurses, ward boys, and security guards. The inquiry has been undertaken to gather as much information as possible to ascertain the sequence of events that culminated in the distressing episode, Dr Verma added.

He said the hospital premises are equipped with 35 CCTV cameras covering various sections. The process of compiling and handing over the footage to the police is underway.

"The video footage will play a crucial role in identifying key details of the incident," Dr Verma said.

Mhow police station in-charge Rahul Sharma said the probe will gain momentum once they receive the entire footage, which will help police identify the mother of the newborn, who delivered in the hospital toilet.

"A young girl was seen entering the toilet between 1.30 am and 2 am on Saturday. Upon checking the records, we found that a 17-year-old girl had been admitted to the hospital at 9 PM on Friday after she complained of colic. We suspect the girl gave birth to the baby in the toilet. A preliminary report stated that the baby was delivered prematurely," Dr Verma added.

He said the girl left the hospital soon, accompanied by an unidentified man.

Officials had said that the infant was taken away by a dog from the toilet area before a security guard managed to retrieve the body.

Sources said all the three entry points at the hospital are kept open at night. "Stray dogs enter through a gate situated near the storeroom," they added.

Dr Verma on Saturday directed to close the (gates at) access areas at night. He also ordered a security guard to stand near the main gate to keep an eye on people and shoo away dogs.

Five days back, a pack of stray dogs had killed a four-year-old boy on the Suwasra-Runija road in Mandsaur district, underlining the menace of canines.

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