KOCHI: Four months since the disappearance of Bengaluru native Suraj Lama in Kochi in October and nearly two months after a highly decomposed body believed to be his was discovered from Kalamassery, his family remains trapped in agonising uncertainty, awaiting official confirmation as the result of the DNA tests remains pending.
Though the Kerala High Court directed the probe team to produce the DNA report by January 23, ahead of the next hearing, a top police source indicated that meeting the deadline may be difficult.
“The DNA samples collected from the remains are in an advanced state of decomposition. While efforts are on to obtain conclusive results, such cases are inherently challenging. Despite treating the court’s directions with utmost seriousness and the pressure to expedite the process, it is not easy to deliver results within a fixed timeline. The report is likely to take a few more days, and meeting the deadline may not be feasible,” said the officer on condition of anonymity.
An official from the District Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Kottayam, said, “Typically, DNA reports take around four to six weeks. However, in complex cases, especially those involving highly degraded samples, the process can extend to six to 12 weeks. This delay is purely technical and should not be seen as a lapse or disregard of the court’s directions.”