Bio samples of Mundka victims' kin collected for DNA profiling

The Delhi Police on Sunday said it has collected biological samples of at least 20 people, whose family members are believed to be killed in the fire at the building in outer Delhi's Mundka, for DNA profiling.

These members also include kin of the eight people whose identities have already been ascertained, officials said.

At least 27 people were charred to death in the massive blaze that ripped through the four-storey building on Friday, according to the police.

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"Though eight charred bodies have been identified, we have collected DNA samples from their family members, too, to fully confirm their identities. So far, we have collected samples from over 20 people for the process of DNA profiling, which will be carried out by forensic experts," Sameer Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said.

"DNA sampling…is a long process. We will ensure it is completed within a span of five-ten days. Once the DNA profiling is done, all the charred bodies and remains found can be identified and handed over to the family members concerned," he added.

An expert from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini said bones, hair with roots, teeth, blood and samples from other body parts were collected.

"On Saturday, our teams collected samples, including those from the charred human remains, which were mostly bones and hair. Charred bodies which have been identified have gone for postmortem while those unidentified yet will also be identified through DNA profiling," the expert said.

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The official said the DNA profiling technique was earlier used in ascertaining the victims' identities in the Northeast Delhi riots, Anaj Mandi fire and in a major fire tragedy at a shoe factory in West Delhi's Udyog Nagar.

Explaining the technique, he said DNA is extracted by breaking the cell membrane and nucleus membrane. It is then washed with alcohol and preserved. This is followed by DNA quantification to check its quality and quantity. Later, it is passed through a test called PCR amplification to ensure it is the DNA of a human.

"The DNA found in the forensic samples is very low in amount. So, it is amplified before DNA sequencing. Billions of copies are produced in this process. During DNA sequencing, the amplified DNA is sequenced in a DNA sequencer machine. These sequences are produced in the form of a graph showing peaks. The DNA sequence is then matched with the questioned DNA sample," he added.