However, army officials said after studying the reports from the Indian High Commission in Johannesburg, prime facie it appears to be a tactic used by the woman to extract some money from young officers.

“We have ordered an enquiry into the incident,” Mr Antony said on the sidelines of an Indian Air Force function here.

UN mission

The three Indian officers – a lieutenant colonel and two majors – were deployed in North Kivu Brigade of the Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). The officials were detained while they were holidaying in Pretoria.

India has the largest contingent in MONUC with more than 4,300 personnel. The mission was set up by the world body in February 2000 to bring stability in the region.

The officers were detained on March 12 and kept in police custody after the woman accused them of raping her.

Complaint withdrawn

However, she withdrew her complaints within hours as a result of which no police case was filed against the three officers. They were released after Indian officials in Johannesburg intervened.

The Indian High Commission in South Africa has sent detailed reports to the ministry of defence and external affairs.

Return soon

Sources said all the three officers were back to Congo after the Pretoria vacation and would be returning “very soon” as their term had ended.

Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Milan Naidu said “It’s an allegation only. But still it is an embarrassment to the Army. We are awaiting the enquiry report.”

India has dispatched almost 9,000 troops in various UN missions in Africa and Asia totally. The contribution from Indian Army has increased from 2,300 troops in 2004 to 8,265 at the moment.