Bodies of two victims of the deadly fire at Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road in the capital are kept in the mortuary of Dhaka Medical College Hospital for DNA test.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) has been collected after postmortem, a source has confirmed.
The bodies will be handed over to the relatives only after the results of the DNA test. But this may take a longer time. It may take 1 to 6 months, said those concerned.
The situation arises as the relatives failed to identify correctly these two bodies. The DNA test of the body is being done at the forensic lab of the Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Lab sources said the time for the test depends on the samples and DNA from cremated bodies is time-consuming.
A senior official of the CID's forensic lab said, 'We have just taken up DNA testing. DNA samples of their relatives have been taken. There are some complications in this case, it may take a lot of time.'
When asked how long it will take, he said, 'Can't be specific. It depends on the samples. Taking sample from blood the results come faster than the samples from teeth and bones.'
We are at lot of work pressure, capacity is also an issue. So nothing can be determined at this stage. It may take 1 month or may take 6 months, he said.
Dhaka Additional District Magistrate AKM Hedayetul Islam, who is in charge of handing over the dead bodies, said, 'After the DNA test, the remaining bodies will be handed over to the relatives. As it is a pathological matter, it is not possible to say how much time it will take to complete this process.
On Thursday night, 46 people were killed in a terrible fire at the Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road in the capital. The bodies of 44 of them were handed over. The remaining two bodies are claimed by two families. The family claimed that one of them is of Nazmul Hossain, son of Nazrul Islam, a resident of Rampura in the capital. According to the family's claim, at the time of the incident, Nazmul along with his three friends went to Kacchi Bhai restaurant. The other body is claimed of journalist Abhishruti Shastri. Nazmul Hossain's body was burnt and mutilated, but Abhisruti's body is in better condition to identify. Abhishruti's father named Sabuj Sheikh identified the body but said that the deceased's name is not Abhishruti Shastri, she is Bristy Khatun. Their home is in Bangram of Khoksar in Kushtia. On the other hand, Ramana Kalimandir authorities claim that this woman belonged to Hindu religion and her name is Abhishruti Shastri.
Utpal Barua, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ramna Police Station of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said, 'Due to religious complications, the woman's body will be handed over to the rightful claimant through the court after the DNA test.'
On Sunday (March 3) at noon, he went to DMCH morgue and talked to a morgue people. He said that the autopsy of the two bodies was completed on Saturday. DNA samples were collected and given to the police. Later, the bodies were kept in cold storage in two morgues.