Families of 39 missing Indians in Iraq asked to give DNA samples

The government is collecting DNA samples from the kin of 39 Indians kidnapped by the Islamic State in Mosul more than three years ago at the suggestion of Iraqi authorities and some parliamentarians as part of a fresh effort to determine their fate.

Sources familiar with the latest developments told  that after numerous mass graves were found in areas of Iraq liberated from the IS, some MPs and politicians urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to ensure that DNA samples were collected from relatives of the missing Indians to expand the search.

The Iraqi authorities too wrote to Indian officials some time ago that DNA samples would help "explore all possibilities" in the search for the Indians.

"Taking these two strands into account, the external affairs ministry decided to request the governments of the states, to which the missing men belonged, to take DNA samples of their relatives," said a source.

Another source said the latest development "doesn't mean any finality in our search for the missing Indians". The source added, "We are still looking for them."

The government continues to classify the 39 workers kidnapped by the IS in



June 2014 as "missing". The government has also taken a position that as long as it doesn't have conclusive proof they are dead, it would "like to believe they are alive", sources said.

On Saturday, the Punjab health department collected blood samples from kin of three of the missing men from Gurdaspur district.

The under secretary (states) in the external affairs ministry, P Ashok, ordered the Gurdaspur's deputy commissioner on October 18 to collect blood samples from the relatives "at the earliest".

Ashoks's letter said the blood samples were "urgently required" as a high-level delegation from the external affairs ministry is scheduled to visit Iraq on October 23 to continue the search for the Indians.

Senior medical officer Sanjeev Bhalla said after orders were received from the deputy commissioner, three teams went to Tallianwal, Rupowali and Talwandi Jhuran villages to collect blood samples from relatives of Malkait Singh, Kamaljeet Singh and Dharminder, who are among the missing men.

Kamaljeet's mother, Mohinder Kaur (62), told Hindustan Times a health department team came to her home on Saturday morning and collected blood samples from her and