Forensic test confirms identity of youth from Madurai who died in Qatar

Saravanan.L1@timesgroup.com
 

Madurai: The parents of a 21-year-old youth who have been running from pillar to post to ascertain whether their son had died in Qatar a year ago as alleged have finally got confirmation that he was dead. Though the mortal remains purported to have been those of Gopalakrishnan were brought to India subsequently, his parents Murugesan and Amirthavalli, had refused to believe they were his. On Tuesday, the forensic report submitted before the Madurai bench of the Madras high court confirmed that the person to whom the skull and femur belonged to was their biological son.

Gopalakrishnan had gone to Qatar for a job in February 2016 and had spoken to his parents last on December 10 that year. His roommate Muneer, had informed Amirthavalli that her son had gone missing from December 13. When she asked some of her relatives in Qatar to check with the company about her son, they were told that he had gone missing. Later, the company informed her that a body found there appeared to be that of her son. Amirthavalli asked her relative to identify the body, but he was not allowed to see the body. She sent a representation to the Sivaganga collector on December 23 seeking action to trace her son. The collector asked her to petition the commissioner of rehabilitation and welfare of nonresident Tamils in Chennai. She then approached the high commissioner of India in Qatar through a representation on January 30.

 With no action coming, she filed a case a year ago saying her son was said to have committed suicide in Qatar but there was a doubt with regard to the identity of the body sent to India. In April last year, the court ordered DNA examination to ascertain the identity of the body and file a report. Though blood samples were taken from the petitioner and her husband, there was no further development in the case.

Following this, she filed another petition in the high court. During hearing before the division bench, petitioner’s counsel told the court that forensic experts and police in Sivaganga failed to obey the court order. Subsequently, the court on April 26 directed the forensic department to send the report to the police concerned in four weeks. The inspector of police of Ilayankudi promised to take steps to get the DNA test report , but nothing was done, counsel said.