BHUBANESWAR: Kerala Police has requested Odisha DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi to direct authorities in the state to collect the blood samples of the parents of Dr Swadhin Panda, who went missing after Wayanad district was struck by devastating landslides last month.
In a letter to Sarangi, Wayanad Crime Branch (CB) DSP Sureshkumar MK informed several unidentified bodies and body parts were retrieved from affected areas of the district and samples for DNA comparison sent to a forensic science laboratory (FSL) in Kannur.
The blood samples of Dr Panda’s sister were collected and sent to the lab. However, FSL authorities apprised the blood samples were not sufficient for proper DNA comparison. The officials have suggested to collect the blood samples of his parents urgently, read the letter.
Wayanad CB requested the DGP to ask the officials concerned to collect the blood samples and send them to Meppadi police station. Panda was a senior resident at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.