Friends for Decades, Sisters by Blood! Indian Women Discover Their Real Bond Through DNA Test

Two Indian-origin women adopted by separate Dutch families discovered after 40 years that they were biological sisters. A DNA test revealed their emotional connection and reunited them in the Netherlands

Post Published By: Sreeja Chowdhury

Updated : 13 August 2026, 5:58 AM IST

Indian Sisters Reunion (Img: AI generated)

New Delhi: A deeply moving and astonishing story has emerged from the Netherlands. Two women—abandoned as orphans in India and raised by separate adoptive families in the Netherlands—discovered after 40 years that they were biological sisters.

Remarkably, despite being close childhood friends, neither had any inkling of this biological bond.

First meeting in 1996, then a loss of contact

The story began when Meena and Meenal were adopted as children from different Indian orphanages by families in the Netherlands. They were living just 130 kilometers apart.

In 1996, while still teenagers, they met for the first time at a conference for adopted children. They felt an inexplicable, deep connection. Friends even remarked with surprise at the physical resemblance between them.

They exchanged addresses and began addressing each other as "Sis" (sister) in a playful manner in their letters. However, over time, they lost touch for about 15 years.

DNA test fills the void in their hearts

A DNA test in April finally revealed the truth. When a notification popped up on Meenal's phone reading "Meena: Sister," she could hardly believe her eyes. This rare 100% match transformed their lives. Their subsequent reunion in the Netherlands was an emotional moment filled with tears, hugs, and laughter.

Sharing her feelings, 43-year-old Meena Geltink, a mother of three said, "For years, I felt a void in my heart. Now, it feels as though a beautiful puzzle of life has finally been solved." Meanwhile, 44-year-old Minal Tijssen—a mother of two sons living in France—said with teary eyes, "We were friends before we became sisters. In reality, we were sisters all along; we just didn't know it."

Now, following this extraordinary and miraculous discovery, the two sisters stay connected for hours every day via phone calls and messages. They believe it is nothing short of a miracle that fate brought them close so many years ago and has now united them forever.