Father-son bone marrow mismatch leads to rape investigation in Gujarat’s Morbi - The Indian Express

Medical tests for bone marrow compatibility between a patient suffering from blood cancer and his son have led to a rape investigation in Gujarat’s Morbi.

Police said they have launched an investigation against the husband of a former councillor of Morbi Nagarpalika, based on a complaint filed by the wife of the patient.

Speaking to mediapersons in Morbi, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) J M Aal, said, “On September 9, a woman filed a police complaint accusing the man of raping her in 2020. The complainant and accused were acquainted through a boutique and the accused had given Rs1 lakh to the woman for the treatment of her husband. The woman said in her complaint that the man used to ask him to return the money. One day he called her to his house and allegedly raped her.”

Asked about the five-year delay in filing the rape complaint, the DySP said that when medical tests seemed to show that the complainant’s husband was not the father of their child, she told him about the alleged rape and then filed the police complaint.

“The husband of the complainant is suffering from blood cancer and requires a bone marrow transplant. When they went to check compatibility with their son, they did not match. The woman then told him about the (2020 rape) incident and then filed the complaint,” Aal said.

In cases of blood cancer in a biological father, his son can be a viable bone marrow (stem cell) donor as he would be a genetically haploidentical (half-match) with his father, meaning that half of his Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) markers can be inherited from the father and transplant is possible if more viable donors, such as siblings, are unavailable.

DySP Aal said, “We are now planning to carry out DNA tests. We will approach the court seeking permission for the same.”

Morbi and eight other municipalities in Gujarat were upgraded to municipal corporations on January 1, 2025.