Officials said they might be able to identify the child within two days.
Distressing visuals from a Karnataka district hospital on Friday showed the mangled body of a newborn child lying on the compound grounds. The child hasn't yet been identified.
A security guard at the Shivamogga district hospital said he saw a dog dragging an infant in its mouth at around seven in the morning. He freed the child from the animal, but the pre-mature baby was already dead. It is unclear if the child was killed by the dog or the animal was dragging a dead body.
The police conducted an autopsy and filed a case, but the identity of the child is yet to be ascertained.
Shivamogga District Medical Officer Rajesh Suragihalli told NDTV that the child wasn't born or admitted to the district hospital. "Three children were born at the district hospital, and they are all safe," he said.
The district health department has formed four teams to identify the child, who is said to be a pre-mature delivery at around seven months of pregnancy.
Data on pre-mature deliveries on March 30 and 31 are being collected from all hospitals and nursing homes in and around Shivamogga.
Officials said they might be able to identify the child within two days.