Both Adopted from Mumbai, They Called Each Other ‘Sis.’ 30 Years Later, They Found Out They’re Actually Sisters

Every once in a while, a DNA discovery story comes along that feels more like a movie script than reality. The story of Meena and Minal is one of those rare, miraculous twists of fate.

Born in Mumbai in the early 1980s, both girls were adopted as infants by different Dutch families. They grew up miles apart, completely unaware that they shared the exact same parents. Yet, against all astronomical odds, life kept pushing them toward each other — first as strangers, then as childhood friends who jokingly called each other “Sis,” and finally, 30 years later, as full biological sisters, verified through MyHeritage DNA.

This is their unbelievable story.

Growing up different

“I was born in Mumbai in 1983 and was adopted at four months old by a wonderful Belgian-Dutch couple who were teachers,” says Meena Geltink.

From Meena’s adoption papers

“Growing up as an Indian girl with dark skin in a small Dutch village, I always felt different. I was great at gymnastics, but I tried not to stand out too much — I already stood out enough just by existing.”

Meena as a child

“My parents were always open about my adoption,” says Meena. “We even celebrated October 25 — the day I arrived in the Netherlands — as my second birthday, and traveled to India together to learn about my heritage. Still, without any information about my biological family, I felt a deep sadness and isolation.”

Meanwhile, Minal Tijssen was leading a parallel life. “I was adopted at three and a half months old in 1982 by loving parents in Made, Brabant,” says Minal. “Like Meena, I loved sports — gymnastics, field hockey, tennis. But despite having a warm family, I felt an intense inner loneliness. Seeing other Indian people actually frightened me as a child, and when people looked at me, I thought, ‘I’m not like you.’ I felt like an alien with no anchor to my true identity.”

Minal’s adoption announcement

“My parents told me I had been left in a basket outside an orphanage in Mumbai,” says Minal. “For 42 years, that sparse detail was the only origin story I had.”

Cosmic coincidences

Long before a DNA database could connect them, destiny was already dropping hints. “When I was 12, my family went camping in Austria,” says Meena. “A boy from another Dutch family kept calling me ‘Minal!’ I corrected him, but he insisted: ‘No, you look exactly like a girl I know named Minal back home.’“

“At age 14, my parents sent me to a weekend gathering for international adoptees,” says Minal. “I went with a friend, terrified as usual. That’s where I met Meena. During dinner, I noticed her staring at me. I felt uncomfortable at first — who was this girl who looked like me?”

Meena (left) and Minal (right) as teens

“Then she came over and told me about her vacation friend who had mistaken her for me,” says Minal. “It turned out that boy was my primary school classmate!”

“Our friends were stunned by how much we looked alike,” says Meena. “They dragged us both into the bathroom. We stood side by side, looking into the mirror in disbelief. Same eyes, same nose, same smile, same dark skin, same love for gymnastics.”

Minal (left) and Meena (right) were strikingly similar

“We clicked instantly,” says Minal. “We began writing letters back and forth for 6 years. Because we felt such a strange, instinctual bond, we affectionately addressed each other as ‘Sis.’ But as we grew into adults, life took over. We didn’t have social media back then to keep us connected. By 2011, we had lost touch. I assumed our ‘sisterhood’ was just a sweet fairytale we made up as teenagers.”

“We both moved on, and built separate lives,” says Meena. “I lived in Gemert, and Minal moved to France.”

Searching for answers

Both women made separate attempts to trace their roots back to Mumbai, only to hit devastating dead ends.

“In 2004, and again in 2025, I visited the orphanage in Mumbai listed on my court papers,” says Minal. “Both times, there were no record files, no mention of my name, and no answers. The staff ushered us out. I left feeling erased — did I even exist? Where did I come from?”

Meena tried to learn about her origins, too. “In 2017, seeking answers, I took a MyHeritage DNA test,” she says. “But month after month passed with no close family matches. Eventually, I gave up, lost my password, and deleted the app from my phone.”

‘This is real… full biological sisters’

Nine years after Meena took her test, Minal finally received a MyHeritage DNA kit in the spring of 2026.

“One day, I was sitting on my couch in France when a notification popped up on my phone: Your MyHeritage test results are ready!” Minal recalls. “I opened the app. At the top of the list, under Immediate Family, it read: ‘Sœur (Sister): Meena, Netherlands.’

“I sat there frozen, trembling. I got into my car to pick up my son from soccer practice and suddenly burst into uncontrollable tears — tears coming from a place so deep inside me that I had never felt before.

“I rushed to Facebook, tracked down Meena on Messenger, and sent her a screenshot of her profile: ‘Meena, do you remember how we used to call each other sisters? Well, check your MyHeritage app… we might actually be real sisters.’“

“I was so confused!” Meena exclaims. “I couldn’t even remember my login password. My partner helped me log back into my old account. He looked at the centimorgan data, checked it twice, and looked up at me: ‘Meena… this is real. You are 100% full biological sisters.’“

‘It’s an unbelievable feeling’

The DNA data confirmed what their hearts had known in that bathroom mirror 30 years earlier: Meena and Minal share the exact same biological mother and father.

“For my whole life, I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere,” says Minal. “But when the test confirmed Meena was my full sister, everything changed. I finally felt: I exist. I am alive. I’m not an alien. I was really born, because my sister came from the exact same belly, the exact same parents.“

“Now, we text and video call every single day,” says Meena. “We share so many of the same traits, memories, and even music tastes — we both grew up obsessing over the Backstreet Boys! It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

The two finally reunited in the Netherlands in mid-August. Watch their emotional reunion in the video below:

“When I see you, it’s like I’m home,” Minal told Meena.

A sisters’ embrace

Meena and Minal

Meena and Minal

The sisters’ incredible story resonated all over the world, with news outlets from People.com and the New York Times to CBC Radio and the Indian Express reporting on it. We are very grateful to Meena and Minal for sharing their story with us and with the world. It’s such a poignant reminder of how powerful and life-changing DNA testing can be for adoptees and others seeking long-lost relatives.

If you’ve also made an amazing discovery with MyHeritage — and it doesn’t have to be as mind-blowing as this one! — we’d love to hear about it. Please share it with us at stories@myheritage.com.