DNA test helps north China police find six children abducted 20 years ago

With the help of DNA test, police in north China's Hebei province have managed to find parents for six children who were abducted more than 20 years ago, local sources said.

They were among the 23 children identified with the technology since 2015, when police in Hebei launched a campaign to give DNA tests to those who were suspected of abduction, said Chen Yuan, a police officer in charge of human trafficking in the Public Security Department of Hebei.

Children were always too young when they were abducted to give a detailed description of their homes, Chen said. While they were growing up, their appearances and accents changed a lot, making it harder for police to find their families of origin.

In 2009, a DNA database of the missing children was established by China's Ministry of Public Security.

Last year the Public Security Department of Hebei ordered local police bureaus to collect DNA samples for the children who came for household registration but certain documents were missing or faked, and check the database to make sure if they were among the missing.

(APD)