Blood, hair and saliva samples have been taken from relatives of missing businessman Mohamed Khan and according to Crime Chief Leslie James they will be sent to Trinidad and Tobago for testing.
Family members of Khan, who believe him to be dead, confirmed yesterday that the samples taken from Khan’s mother, sister and brother are going to be sent to a lab in Trinidad. The police, they say, are funding the exercise.
His brother, Neeaz, told Stabroek News that the samples were supposed to have left for Trinidad yesterday but up to press time they were still here. He said that the police have told them that the results are expected in four weeks’ time.
Many of the man’s relatives and friends are convinced that a decapitated corpse found at Cummings Lodge is him, after a belt and pants found on the remains were identified as having belonged to him.
However, the police have said that that is not enough to legally substantiate the corpse’s identity and as a result DNA testing was decided upon.
Khan has been missing since August 21. In addition to the belt and pants, a sister of Khan had told this newspaper that the hair on the head recovered with the corpse as well as missing teeth in areas where Khan wore dental plates have led her to conclude that it is him.
A mark, which some relatives believe is a gunshot wound, was found in the stomach area of the corpse – in the same area where Khan had sustained a gunshot wound during a failed murder attempt in July. The doctor could not confirm if it was a gunshot wound given the state of the body. The man’s siblings had travelled abroad with the hope that they would have been able to identify the remains and bury them. Police have since indicated that they will not be handing over the body until DNA results are received.
Relatives strongly believe that a soured business deal is behind Khan’s disappearance. A cousin said that Khan complained to him that he was owed an outstanding balance of $80M for a property he had sold in 2010.
