Best friends for decades - until a DNA test revealed they were sisters

What the report says

Two women adopted from Mumbai in the early 1980s and raised in the Netherlands have discovered through DNA testing that they are biological sisters, according to the BBC. Meena Geltink and Minal Tijssen, both now in their 40s, were adopted by separate Dutch families and met as teenagers at an adoptee event, where they noticed striking similarities and began a friendship that lasted for years.

The BBC reports that the pair stayed in touch through letters and later lost contact, only to reconnect after Minal messaged Meena on Facebook this year with DNA-test results. Meena had previously taken a test in 2017 but had not found a match. When she checked the new message, the result showed a full sibling match, confirming they shared both biological parents.

Their reunion in August was described as emotional, with the women later telling the BBC that the discovery felt like a missing part of their lives had been found. The story highlights how DNA testing and online databases are increasingly helping some adoptees trace family connections, though in this case the article focuses on the personal impact rather than any broader legal or policy issue. The women now live in different European countries and have reconnected with each other’s families while considering a future visit to Mumbai, where their story began.