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Bombay High Court Orders DNA Test of Seafarer’s Remains at Mumbai Lab

The court stepped in to resolve the family's challenge to identification of charred fragments through a DNA report.

Overview

  • The High Court, which issued its order Tuesday, directed DG Shipping to collect the remains in a family member’s presence and deliver them to FSL Kalina for DNA testing, with the report given to the kin.
  • The remains consist of only four or five charred bones, making visual identification impossible, and the family has paused last rites until a scientific match is confirmed.
  • The coffin reached Mumbai on Sunday after a month abroad, following the family’s petition, and DG Shipping pressed police and forensic officials to fast-track testing.
  • Solanki died in early March when the tanker MT MKD Vyom was hit off Oman in a suspected missile or explosive‑laden drone‑boat strike, which officials described as injuries from an exploding projectile.
  • The case spotlights how deaths in international waters involve flag‑state and consular paperwork, local police and forensic labs, and can leave families without clear records or closure.