Special: Illicit DNA testing in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad: With DNA collection centres mushrooming in several areas and offering services via courier and also soliciting clients online, Hyderabad is increasingly becoming a hub for unauthorised paternity testing.
Suspicious husbands are being wooed with home-based test kits and door-to-door services for collecting samples that will enable them to clear doubts about a child’s “real” father.
Sources say 60 per cent of the clients approaching these clinics want paternity tests due to an increasing number of marriage disputes and everyday fights.
With the centres entertaining these demands via aggressive marketing and offering “peace of mind” solutions to clear doubts, more and more people are opting for such tests. The catchline is that the tests are confidential and no documentations are required.
Ritu, director of One Touch Solution and Services, said many husbands approached her firm for satisfactory answers. She says, “We give them medical guarantee for the tests. However, we can’t manage the personal implications.”
This is because the labs do not take the consent of the wife when a husband opts for the test.
The clandestine working procedure is highly criticised as it can wreak havoc in the life of the mother and the child. The laboratories, however, claim that these tests provide the final solution to disputes.
Gandhi of Truth Labs says, “We are serving people and helping them get out of tricky situations. There have been times when husbands’ doubts have been cleared as the tests have come out positive. Technology has helped get rid of the suspicion.”
The cost of the tests varies from Rs 400 for the home-based kits to Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000. The price for every laboratory in the market varies as they claim to offer exclusive service and complete confidentiality.
The tests are based on buccal (cheek) swabs that can be done easily, and the child does not doubt anything. Meanwhile, increasing demand for these tests have made forensic doctors nervous as they feel that private players are exploiting the market without taking into account the moral implications.
DNA analyst Dr G.V. Rao said that these tests have no legal standing in court.
“These tests are anti-woman and can have a terrible impact on her life and her child’s life. But these laboratories are not interested in that aspect.
They merely market themselves as centres where doubts can be cleared. But why resort to these tactics? Why not go to the court? Many will be using the services of these labs to get rid of women as no one knows which child’s swab was taken and given to the lab.”