Bhubaneswar: Northern Range IG Police Deepak Kumar today clarified that nuclear DNA obtained from the remains of Mamita Meher who was allegedly murdered by Gobinda Sahu, matched with that of her parents. However, her mitochondrial DNA did not as her body was charred and exhumed from under the ground.
In a presser on Wednesday, Kumar said that a long unburnt piece of bone was sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) along with samples of Mamita’s parents. “The DNA test report stated that the source of the portion of the femur bone was that of the biological daughter of Suchandra Meher and Tulsi Meher.”
A few burnt portions of small bones were sent to Hyderabad for a mitochondrial DNA test. “As the bone was completely burnt, the test results were not clear,” he added. “We also consulted the experts who were of the opinion that the test may produce a false negative report as mitochondrial DNA is temperature sensitive,” he added.
It may be noted that the Orissa High Court, while hearing the bail plea of Gobinda Sahu on December 7, had directed the State Government to submit the forensic report and DNA test report. Sahu, who was managing committee president of Sunshine School where Mamita worked, allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday at Kantabanji jail before his appearance in a local court.
