Dutch adoptee returns to Chakaria after 43 years to find family
Adopted to the Netherlands as a toddler, 45-year-old Selina Gomes has returned to Cox's Bazar with a childhood photo and old passport to trace her roots.
A 45-year-old Dutch citizen, Selina Gomes, has returned to Bangladesh armed only with a black-and-white childhood photograph and an old passport to find the biological parents she lost 43 years ago. She is searching across various villages in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar.
Born in the Malumghat area of Dulahazara union, Selina was adopted by a Dutch couple when she was just 18 months old. Her old passport lists her date of birth as 7 July 1981 and nationality as Bangladeshi. Driven by a desire to reconnect with her roots, she arrived in the district on 28 October.
Selina has distributed leaflets and spoken to local residents across several neighbourhoods. A local man has stepped forward claiming to be her brother, and DNA samples have been collected to scientifically verify the relationship.
Source: Prothom Alo
