Three unidentified bodies buried nearly 15 years ago in Assam’s Sribhumi district were exhumed for DNA testing as part of the investigation into missing Tripura school teacher Ashish Som, who disappeared from Agartala in 2011 amid an alleged ransom demand.
Three unidentified bodies buried nearly 15 years ago in Assam’s Sribhumi district were exhumed on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Tripura school teacher Ashish Som, who went missing from Agartala in 2011, police said.
The exhumation was carried out to collect DNA samples from the remains. The samples will be examined and compared with DNA samples obtained from members of Som’s family in Agartala. The process is intended to determine whether any of the unidentified remains could belong to the missing teacher.
A team of Tripura Police was present during the exhumation, along with officials from the Sribhumi district administration. Investigators opened three graves after officials found that multiple unidentified bodies had been buried in the area around the same period.
According to police, Som disappeared from Agartala in 2011, following which his family lodged a missing-person complaint. During the subsequent investigation, allegations emerged that he had been abducted and that his family had been asked to pay a ransom of Rs 25 lakh.
Police later developed a suspicion that Som could have been killed after the ransom amount was not paid. However, his whereabouts and fate could not be conclusively established, leaving the case unresolved for years.
One unidentified body was recovered from the Son Beel area of Sribhumi district around the same period in 2011. Following the completion of the required legal formalities, the body was buried. Investigators later learned that three unidentified bodies had reportedly been buried in the area around that time.
Since authorities could not determine which of the graves, if any, contained Som’s remains, the three bodies were exhumed for forensic examination. The DNA sampling is expected to provide investigators with evidence that could help establish the identity of the remains.
The exhumation followed an order from a Tripura court directing the authorities to collect DNA samples from unidentified remains as part of efforts to ascertain whether any of them belonged to Som.
Police officials said the identities of the three remains will be established after the DNA analysis is completed. The test results will also determine whether there is a connection between any of the bodies and the disappearance of the Tripura teacher.
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The forensic examination is therefore expected to play an important role in clarifying the circumstances surrounding Som’s disappearance and determining whether the unidentified remains recovered in Assam are linked to the long-pending case.
