39 Indians kidnapped by IS in Iraq killed: Sushma

MEA’S MISSING INDIANS QUEST

Foundation, a body of the Iraqi government) told us that 38 DNA samples had matched. The 39th had a partial match as he didn’t have any immediate family,” said Swaraj.

Once formalities are completed, she said, V K Singh would travel to Iraq to bring back the bodies on a special plane. The first stop on way back would be Amritsar where 31 bodies of those from Punjab and four from Himachal Pradesh would be handed over to the relatives. The plane will then travel to Patna and to Kolkata.

House chairman M Venkaiah Naidu termed it very sad news. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s account of how the 39 bodies were found in war-torn Iraq:

Iraqi search operations lead to a mound near Badush, where residents say bodies were buried by the IS

Deep penetration radar is used to establish that the mound is a mass grave

The bodies are exhumed and DNA samples from relatives of the missing workers from across four Indian states are sent to Iraq for matching

DNA tests return confirmed matches for 38 of the missing men. There is a 70% match for the 39th man ID cards, long hair, kada and non-Iraqi footwear also help in the identification process

A plane carrying the mortal remains of the 39 Indians will first go to Amritsar, then to Patna and Kolkata

SAMEER SEHGAL/HT Seema (L), the wife of Sonu, whose body wqas the first to be identified in Iraq, with her children and mother in Law (R) at Chawinda Devi village near Amritsar on Tuesday.