Investigating the demographic history of Sindhi population inhabited in West coast India

Background: South Asian populations have been shaped by multiple migration waves, admixture, and endogamy. This study analyzed a small Sindhi community in Thane district, Maharashtra (west coast India) using genome‑wide autosomal SNP data with both frequency‑ and haplotype‑based methods. Results: The west‑coast Indian Sindhi group shows a distinctive genetic profile with affinity to a population closer to the Pakistani Burusho than to Pakistani Sindhis, attributable to an additional East/Southeast Asian component. Haplotype sharing and identity‑by‑descent patterns indicate recent gene flow from local Konkani groups. Admixture modeling suggests this East/Southeast Asian contribution occurred in relatively recent generations, while the group otherwise shares core ancestry with Pakistan/Northwest India–related groups, consistent with PCA, outgroup f3, and IBD results. Conclusion: Indian Sindhis from Thane likely derive ancestry not directly from Pakistani Sindhis but from groups related to the Burusho, underscoring heterogeneous migration histories into the Indian subcontinent.