According to police, Raj Kumar had allegedly kidnapped the teenager from her home in Sangam Vihar in June last year. Since then, he had been keeping her at a paying guest accommodation in Mangolpuri.

The girl’s father, a vegetable vendor in Govindpuri, had registered a missing complaint with the Sangam Vihar police, said Additional Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Ajay Chaudhary. “The child was traced to Sangam Vihar. As she is a minor, we have registered a case of kidnapping and rape. We are searching for the accused,” he said.

The teenager had resurfaced at the AIIMS Trauma Centre on January 18 with the two-year-old child. The child was in a battered state, with severe injuries on her head, broken arms, bite marks on her face, and cheeks branded with hot iron.

The girl’s contention that the child sustained the injuries due to a fall from her bed was met with skepticism from the doctors.

Doctors fear that the baby, who sustained two cardiac arrests in the last three days, may have also suffered permanent brain damage. She is now on ventilator support at the hospital’s Neurosurgery ICU.

Doctors at AIIMS said the baby has a 50 per cent chance of survival. According to Dr M C Misra, “As the claim, that the state of the baby was a result of her falling off her bed seemed unbelievable, we informed the police. We think the child has been physically abused.”

After the condition of the baby stabilises, the doctors plan to check for sexual abuse.

Though the teenager provided the absconding man’s phone number, it was found to be switched off. The address provided by her led the police to an accommodation in Mongolpuri.

Though police are still trying to establish the relation between the baby and the teenager, sources said the child may have been adopted by her. A case has been registered at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station.