Separately adopted 40 years ago, Indian-origin women discover they're siblings

Two Indian-origin women adopted by separate Dutch families have discovered they are biological sisters nearly 30 years after first meeting as teenagers. A DNA test turned an old friendship into a family reunion and answered questions both had carried for years.Since finding out the truth, the sisters have spent hours each day talking and messaging each other. (Photo: Reuters)Two Indian-origin women who were adopted by separate families in the Netherlands have discovered they are biological sisters, nearly 30 years after they first met as teenagers.Nearly 40 years ago, Meena Geltink and Minal Tijssen were left as infants at orphanages in India. They were later adopted by different families in the Netherlands.Their adoptive homes were only about 130 km apart. In 1996, the two met at a gathering for adopted children. They were teenagers then.There was an instant sense of familiarity between them, and they quickly became friends. Their friends also noticed how much the two girls looked alike, prompting the pair to exchange addresses and stay in touch. They even jokingly called each other "sis". Neither knew just how accurate that nickname was. After some time, however, life took them in different directions. They eventually lost touch for 15 years.DNA TEST CHANGED EVERYTHINGAccording to Reuters, the extraordinary connection was discovered through a MyHeritage DNA test in April. The results showed a rare 100 per cent match. Minal, 44, had no records of her biological relatives. She grew up with her Dutch parents and siblings. She said she felt loved by her adoptive family. But she also carried a deep sense of loneliness. Minal was sitting on the couch at her home in France when her DNA results arrived in April.A notification appeared on her phone."'Mina: Sister.' I couldn't believe it," she said, as quoted by the news agency.The result did not immediately register. Minal did not initially realise that the match was the same girl she had met as a teenager. Then she found Meena on social media. She looked through her photographs."Now it's for real." The discovery changed the meaning of a friendship that had begun decades earlier. (Photo: Reuters) 30-YEAR FRIENDSHIP FINDS ITS TRUE MEANINGTheir first reunion in the Netherlands after the DNA discovery was filled with tears, hugs and laughter. They also took their first selfie together. For Minal, the discovery changed the meaning of a friendship that had begun decades earlier."We were friends before we were sisters," Tijssen said."We were sisters the whole time, but we didn't know."Meena, 43, said the discovery gave meaning to a feeling she had struggled to explain for years."For years, I felt a hole in my heart. It's like a missing puzzle piece has been found," she said, as quoted by Reuters."When I see you, it's like I'm home," Meena told Minal.Since finding out the truth, the sisters have spent hours each day talking and messaging each other. A friendship that began at a gathering for adopted children has now led to the discovery of a family bond neither woman knew existed.- EndsWith inputs from agenciePublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Aug 13, 2026 19:48 IST