Meet Bangladeshi Men Born Without Fingerprints From Generation To Generation (Photos)

In a world where fingerprints are the most collected and used biometrics, having no fingerprints is both a blessing and a curse, as the men of the Sarker family can attest.

For generations, Sarker’s men have been born with perfectly smooth fingertips, and while it may not have been a big deal a generation or two ago, nowadays, swirling patterns on our fingertips are used as the primary means of identification. people, that’s a problem.

For example, some men in a Bangladeshi family were unable to obtain a driver’s license due to lack of fingerprints, while others were reluctant to travel for fear of getting into trouble at airports for the same reason.

“I paid the fees, passed the exam, but they did not issue a license because I could not provide my fingerprints,” Amal Sarker recently told the BBC. “It’s always an unpleasant experience for me.”

Amal added that he always carries his driver’s license receipt with him when he rides his motorcycle, but that didn’t help him when he was stopped by the police. He showed them the receipt and smooth fingers, but the police never waived the fine.

Buying a SIM card is also problematic for Sarker’s men, as the government of Bangladesh passed a law that makes the purchase of a SIM card by matching a fingerprint with a national database. Without fingerprints, Apu and Amal Sarker were unable to obtain their own SIM cards and are now using both cards bought in their mother’s name.

Men from the Sarker family from the Rajshahi region of northern Bangladesh suffer from an extremely rare genetic disorder called adermatoglyphia.

This only became known in 2007, when Peter Itin, a Swiss dermatologist, was led by a young Swiss woman who had problems entering the United States because she had no fingerprints. His face matched what was on the passport, but his fingertips were perfectly smooth.

A fingerprint study of this first patient with adermatoglyphia and many of his family members resulted in a mutation in the SMARCAD1 gene.

The condition that came to be known as “delayed immigration disease” did not appear to have any other health consequences other than the complete absence of fingerprints.

Adermatoglyphia is so rare that it has so far been seen in only a few families around the world. Dermatologist Eli Sprecher, who helped Professor Peter Itin diagnose the condition, suggested genetically testing the Sarker family to determine if they suffer from a form of adermatoglyphia. But while this may give patients some clarity, it will not help them navigate a world where fingerprints have become so important.

“I’m tired of explaining the situation over and over again. I asked many people for advice, but none of them could give me a definite answer, ”complained 22-year-old Apu Sarker. “Someone suggested that I go to court. If all options don’t work, then I might have to do it. “

Fortunately, cutting edge technology came to Sarker’s aid. For example, Apu, his brother and father managed to obtain a smart card by scanning the retina of the eye.

Men can obtain the documents they need by identifying themselves with retinal scans or facial recognition, according to the National ID Board.

Source: – Odditycentral