A preliminary medical examination has ruled out rape of four women who were allegedly dragged out of a car and assaulted by highway robbers in Greater Noida’s Jewar, a senior medical officer said on Friday.

A male relative of the women was allegedly shot dead by the gang when he resisted during the incident early on Thursday off the Yamuna Expressway. Eight members of the family were travelling to Bulandshahr.

Gautam Budh Nagar’s chief medical officer Anurag Bhargav, however, said the final opinion will depend on a Lucknow laboratory’s forensic tests on the clothes and tissue samples of the women. The results will take three to four weeks.

The incident has put the Yogi Adityanath government on the back foot, coming weeks after the BJP swept to power in Uttar Pradesh, promising to improve the state’s law and order.

Bhargav told reporters that doctors found no vaginal injury or semen on the four women.

“There was no sexual assault on the women…,” Bhargav said. Noida district magistrate BN Singh and senior superintendent of police Love Kumar were present at press briefing.

Family members of the victims, however, objected to the administration going public with the intitial findings.

“They should have waited for the confirmative report from a forensic lab,” one relative said. “It’s not necessary the initial report will confirm rape. When I went to the spot the victims cried and said they have been raped.”

A doctor at the district hospital also said examination did not show any sign of rape.

“There was no sign of struggle that would suggest even an attempt to rape. There were some bruises on the arms of the women, which could be a result of (the robbers) tying their arms with rope,” said one of the doctors who examined the alleged victims.

SSP Love Kumar said the gang rape charge in the FIR will remain till the final forensic results are out. “We have roped in cops from neighbouring states and are hopeful of cracking the case soon,” he said.

A team of artists drew sketches of the accused on the basis of description given by the victims. The victims said the language and accent of the six robbers was not local.

In a related development, one of the four women on Friday retracted a statement saying three of the six suspects could be her neighbours.

She said her Thursday’s statement was out of anger and family enmity. Police released the three people detained for questioning.