Karnataka sets up DNA profiling centre for missing Nepal victims

Karnataka has named Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru as the nodal centre to collect DNA samples from first-degree relatives of people from the state reported missing in Nepal. The process is meant to help identify mortal remains and support their repatriation to families.

In Short

• Embassy note from Kathmandu triggered the state's latest identification response
• Doctor Nagesh Kuppast was appointed nodal officer under September 4 order
• He will verify kinship, collect samples and oversee profiling coordination

The Karnataka government has designated Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru as the nodal centre for collecting DNA samples from first-degree relatives of people from the state who have been reported missing in Nepal.

The move comes after the Embassy of India in Kathmandu issued a note regarding the identification and repatriation of mortal remains of foreign nationals.

According to an order issued by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority on September 4, Dr Nagesh Kuppast, Professor and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, has been appointed as the Nodal Officer.

Dr Kuppast will be responsible for verifying the relationship between relatives and missing persons, collecting DNA samples and coordinating their profiling and further processing.

First-degree relatives of those reported missing have been advised to approach the designated officers at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital.

They have been asked to carry a recent passport-size photograph, Aadhaar or another government-issued identity document, along with documents establishing their relationship with the missing person.

The DNA profiling process is aimed at assisting authorities in identifying mortal remains and facilitating their repatriation to the families.

- Ends