THE father of student hostage Paul Wells says he expects to know within a couple of days if a body found in a Kashmir grave is that of his son.

Bob Wells said he was told of the latest development while on holiday in Devon with wife Dianne.

Tests are being carried out to establish if the body exhumed from the grave in a Jammu Kashmir village is that of Paul, 26, of Bracken Close, Feniscowles, Blackburn, or fellow hostage Keith Mangan.

Indian forensic scientists have asked for the dental records of the Britons and plan to compare them with those of the exhumed body. Mr Wells said: "I expect to know something within a day or two.

"At this stage I have no plans to fly out to the region but I am due to visit the area in November. Those plans could change depending on what the outcome is.

"We've heard all sorts of stories about the finding, including that it is the body of a Kashmiri person, but at this stage I don't want to comment on speculation.

"We have formed our own opinions about this but we don't want to say anything until we know for sure."

Home Office officials will be contacting Mr Wells as soon as an identification is made.

British investigation officers will not be dispatched to the region until the results of various tests are known.

The Foreign Office had previously said members of the Metropolitan Police force would be sent in the event of new developments.

A sample of hair belonging to Paul is being used to check for a DNA match but medical and dental records may also be used.

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