Four years on, DNA tests and selfies reunite three sisters in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: In what would appear to be a script of a popular Bollywood potboiler of the 1970s, three siblings who got lost four years ago in Hyderabad were reunited this week, thanks to a chance selfie and a DNA test.
Daughters of a knife sharpener of Kukatpaly, Aishwarya (12) Akhila (11) and Asha (7) suddenly found themselves all alone during the summer of 2017 when their father died of a heart attack and their heartbroken mother, a daily wager, disappeared.
A few locals chanced upon Aishwarya and Akhila and took them to an orphanage at Ameenpur, while Asha was rescued by her grandmother from the streets
“She used to take Asha to a shrine at Kukatpally for begging and in 2020, she also died. Asha was handed over to local police and they in turn shifted her to the child care institution (CCI) at Yousufguda,” said district welfare officer, Hyderabad, P Akkeshwar Rao.
Meanwhile, both Aishwarya and Akhila were shifted to an orphanage run by an NGO called ‘Helping Hands Humanity’ (HHH) at
Marredpally in Secunderabad Cantonment as the Ameenpur orphanage shut down for various reasons.
Lady luck smiled upon the siblings when a common friend — Sumitra* of Kukatpally, who knew the three sisters, readily
identified Asha at Yousufguda CCI and immediately took selfies with her and informed authorities.
It didn’t take much time to verify and trace the other two sisters at the Secunderabad orphanage, officials said.
Akkeshwar Rao, then got a DNA test conducted on three sisters and reunited the siblings.
“We collected samples from the three orphans and conducted DNA tests. For this, we have spent Rs 55,000. And with the
blessings of the almighty, all girls are together and safe. Now I am happy,” Rao told TOI.
Authorities said they were forced to go for a DNA test because Asha initially failed to recognise her sisters.
“But Aishwarya and Akhila identified Asha and hugged her,” said the DWO.
When TOI correspondent visited the orphanage, the three girls were eating food from the same plate and seemed cheerful.
“I thought that Asha would never come back again. We had lost all hopes,” Aishwarya said, as tears of joy rolled down her
cheeks.
“My grandmother tried to sell me for money when I was eight years old, but I bit her hand and escaped,” she wept, while
narrating.
The three sisters aim to become teachers in future.
“We will work hard to reach the goal and for now we are regularly having breakfast, lunch and dinner in one plate,” added
Asha.
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