Ihab Ahmed, now 21, told state television that he had been kidnapped from his family while still a baby and another family adopted him from an orphanage. The adoptive family later told Ihab that they were not his real family.

“Due to repeated disputes with the adoptive family, I thought of searching for my [real] family, especially as I have a photo of mine when I was a child,” he told Egyptian television. He posted that photo online and reportedly received many calls. “One day, I got a contact from a girl. When I heard her voice, I felt I’m closely related to her,” he narrated. The girl said she is his sister.

He later met her and she cited proof of belonging to her family. “You have two birth marks one on your right hand and the second on the left,” he quoted her as saying. Ihab said her remark was true.

Ihab, who is a nursing school student, said he did a DNA test to help identify his paternity and is waiting for results to return to his family.