Guwahati: Tezu police of Arunachal Pradesh have collected a DNA sample from the daughter of missing dentist Dr. Debanjib Sharmah, as part of their efforts to identify a skeleton found recently.
However, doctors decided against drawing blood from Dr. Sharmah’s 82-year-old mother due to her poor health condition.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Throughout the investigation, the family, including Dr. Sharmah’s mother, wife, daughter, and other close relatives, has fully cooperated with law enforcement, according to family sources.
The family expressed gratitude for the Arunachal Pradesh Police’s professionalism and welcomed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which police authorities confirmed last Saturday.
Despite these developments, the family remains anguished. Nearly 30 days after Dr. Sharmah disappeared, they are distressed that the case has shifted toward identifying a skeleton rather than actively locating him.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
They fear that a DNA match might lead to what they call an “unwarranted closure,” leaving many questions unanswered.
Raising doubts about the circumstances surrounding the incident, the family questioned how Dr. Sharmah, who reportedly avoided rivers and water bodies, could have ended up near the water, especially when hotel staff had allegedly warned him about the dangers.
Witnesses last saw him on the premises of the Tulow Resort, and the family finds it troubling that the hotel staff failed to sense any danger or raise an alarm.
“Why would a cautious individual, an experienced biker and avid photographer, suddenly venture toward the river, leaving behind his motorcycle, camera, and mobile phone?” they asked.
The family has not ruled out the possibility of foul play. They pointed out that the skeleton retained minimal soft tissue, which makes it difficult for forensic experts to determine whether Dr. Sharmah suffered any physical trauma, such as strangulation or head injuries.
Drawing a comparison, they referenced a recent case in Meghalaya that saw resolution within 16 days after investigators found the husband’s body, and an autopsy redirected the investigation.
Although search operations began the same day Dr. Sharmah went missing on May 31, the police only discovered the skeleton over 20 days later, roughly 20 kilometers from Tulow Resort.
The family questioned whether this delay reflected gaps or oversights in the early phase of the investigation.
They also raised concerns about the absence of crucial evidence. “What was Dr. Sharmah doing right before his supposed drowning? Why is there no CCTV footage, no eyewitness accounts, or physical evidence, like preserved tissue, to help reconstruct the chain of events?” they asked.
As they wait for DNA confirmation, the family continues to hope for a negative result, clinging to the faint possibility of Dr. Sharmah’s safe return, or at the very least, a conclusive and transparent end to the mystery.