HYDERABAD: Two DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) samples of the May 13 Safoora Goth (Karachi) carnage victims matched the blood stains found on the shirt of one of the suspects during the examination conducted at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, forensic laboratory.

The laboratory management found that Karachi police officers associated with the investigation of the high-profile case, in which one of the arrested suspects belonged to Kotri town in Jamshoro district, did not preserve the samples [for DNA test] properly as they lacked the required knowledge.

According to sources, the samples were first sent to the lab for confirmation a couple of months back but were found ‘contaminated’. The lab staff had to proceed to Karachi to recollect and preserve samples of the deceased victims’ heirs.

“Along with a bloodstained shirt, the lab had originally received around 55 blood samples of the victims and their heirs. The samples of the deceased victims were the ones found inside the bus carrying the victims but they were not preserved as per the laid down procedure. They had contamination and we didn’t complete exercise because it was not legally sound to go ahead with the procedure,” said a lab source. “The sample preservation method was absolutely defective and unreliable as police are not trained for this job yet,” he said.When the lab management realised that the findings of the test could not lead to an accurate and correct conclusion, it decided to recollect the samples. “Then the university and lab managements approached the Karachi police and they allowed recollection of samples, the source said.

The DNA test findings showed that the shirt carried blood stains of two male deceased. So samples of 27 male deceased were obtained. The suspects had tried to burn out the shirt but repeated tests finally matched the DNA of two heirs. “One blood stain [on the shirt] matched the sample of a man whose son was killed and the other belonged to a man whose uncle was killed in the carnage,” said the source.

The examination report, to be singed on Wednesday, would be handed over to the investigation officer of the Safoora Goth carnage case.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play