New Delhi: Forensic examination of bones recovered near a rivulet in the Bilkis Bano gangrape-cum-massacre case has indicated they belonged to five females and two males and their age was almost matching with those who had been missing.

The forensic examination was carried out at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The DNA test could not, however, be done as the bones had been decomposed very badly because of the salt buried along with the bodies allegedly by Gujarat Police.

Highly-placed CBI sources said the report had been received by the agency from AIIMS and it would be submitted before the special court trying the case in Mumbai.

Asked whether non-establishment of the DNA could give a blow to the prosecution in the case, the sources said the gender and age tests of the bones had matched with the seven people who had been missing in the case.

"The agency can use this as an effective corroborative evidence," they said.

The CBI and forensic experts had recovered some bones without any skull from a rivulet in Panivela village in Gujarat in March this year where the massacre had taken place in March 3, 2002.

The doctors carried out tests based on measurement of the bones and later identified them with photographs of the deceased who were accompanying Bilkis while fleeing from rioters on the ill-fated day.

Bilkis was among three persons who survived. The other two were Saddam and Hussain

The AIIMS doctors also substantiated CBI claims that salt had been used by the Gujarat police for early decomposition of the skeletal remains, the sources said.

The case was handed over to the CBI on the direction of the Supreme Court in December last year after which the agency registered the case in January and arrested 12 people, including Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai and Naresh Moriya.

According to the chargesheet, Bilkis Yakub and her 17 other relatives, including her three-and-a-half year old daughter, were fleeing from their residence when they were attacked by a mob allegedly led by Nais around Panivela in March, 2002. The riots had started after the burning of a bogie of a train at Godhra.

Besides the two Nais and Maurya, CBI has named Pradeep Maurya, Lal Vakil, Baku Bhai, Kesar Bhai, Raju Soni, Ramesh Chandana (PS to local BJP MLA), Sailesh Bhat (Dhaod district president of BJP), Nitesh Bhat and Lala, all of whom were in judicial custody.

The charge-sheeted cops included a Deputy Superintendent of Police, two Inspectors (including a retired one) and a head constable, besides Sub Inspector I A Syed and head constable Narpatsinh Patel who had buried salt along with the bodies.

Bilkis Yakub identified Nais and Moriya as those who allegedly raped her, the sources said.

The victim, who was pregnant when she was raped, had told CBI that she even asked the rapists that she was the age of their daughter and had been seeing them since childhood as they used to come to her house for buying milk.