Kolkata: Nepal Police has called for DNA profiles from children, siblings or parents of those missing in the Nepal flash flood that has prompted families of missing tourists from Bengal to begin arranging submission of genetic samples for comparison. Relatives of four families have already submitted their samples to Nepal authorities on Wednesday.
Nepal Police has designated two contact officers for coordination on DNA testing: Inspector Shambhu Bahadur KC (+977 9841616095) and sub inspector Bishnu Ghimire (+977 9857091013) for the purpose, the notice mentioned.
First-degree relatives of missing citizens, whether based in Nepal or abroad, will need to complete the DNA testing procedure, according to the notice. “For relatives abroad a first-degree relative is requested to undergo DNA profiling (Autosomal STR DNA profiling) at an authorized laboratory in their own country of residence and send a soft copy of the DNA profile to Nepal Police’s official email address: [email protected] for comparison purposes,” the notice read. The move comes as Nepal moves on from search and rescue to relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction using DNA testing to identify bodies, body parts and human remains recovered from the flood-hit Rasuwa area.
On Thursday, relatives of other tourists in Bengal said they will now get autosomal STR DNA profiling done at an authorised forensic laboratory in India and send the digital reports to Nepal Police. Nepal Police issued a notice on Thursday asking blood relatives of the deceased to provide DNA samples to help identify bodies and body parts found along the riverbanks and surrounding areas.
Along with the lab report, the relatives have also been asked to send the full name and nationality of the missing person, passport or official ID details, the date and probable location of disappearance and the relationship between the person providing the DNA and the missing person.