Indian seafarer’s body sent back from Venezuela without brain, heart, lungs, intestines – Is it a case of murder? | Today’s news

A 33-year-old Indian sailor from Uttar Pradesh lost his life in the Venezuelan state of Falcon on May 7. His body returned to his native land in an abysmal state, devoid of vital internal organs. The completely gutted body of the deceased sailor, identified as Rakesh Chauhan, was repatriated with his brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines missing. Soon after this tragic incident came to light, India asked for an urgent probe into the case.

The Indian Embassy in Caracas issued a statement: “The Embassy of India in Caracas has requested the Venezuelan authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the desecration and removal of the organs of the mortal remains of the late Shri. Rakesh Chauhan. The mission is continuing the matter with the concerned local authorities since the incident came to light,” the embassy said.

Responding to media queries regarding the suspected condition of the sailor’s body, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a media briefing on Friday said, “We have taken up the matter with the Venezuelan authorities requesting an expedited investigation into the matter. So we will keep you updated in this regard.”

Rakesh Chauhan’s body arrives in India without vital organs

Let’s find out what happened to Rakesh Chauhan. On the morning of that fateful day, May 7, the sailor was talking to his family from the ship. A few hours later, his family was informed that the sailor had lost consciousness and collapsed. What followed the news of his critical condition was the news of Rakesh Chauhan’s death due to a heart attack in Punto Fijo.

It took almost two months for his body to be returned to India and finally to his home. Chauhan’s family has requested a second post-mortem at UP, raising disturbing questions and suspicions about the cause of death. Doctors who performed the autopsy found that vital organs were missing, including the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines, so the exact cause of death could not be determined.

According to the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), Rakesh’s body showed previous extensive stitching and had been kept in deep freeze for almost a month. The union, which first reported the case, noted that the liver, spleen, pancreas, thyroid gland, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea were also missing.

FSUI said in a statement on X: “Indian seafarer Rakesh Chauhan has reported death in Venezuela. The mortal remains were sent back to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh without any autopsy report or details from the Venezuelan authorities.”

Is Rakesh Chauhan’s death a case of murder?

Chauhan’s wife Ranjana, who suspected the murder, said, “My husband went to work on a ship; he was murdered there and his organs were harvested. They have not given us a proper report till date, despite our repeated requests.”

“They didn’t even return his personal belongings; they didn’t even talk to us properly; the company representatives were dismissive,” ANI quoted Ranjan as saying.

When the family came to know about the results of Chauhan’s second postmortem report, they filed a complaint with the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and other relevant authorities, Ranjana said.

According to Ranjana, she last spoke to her husband on May 6. About two or three hours after he left for work that day, Rakesh’s father got a call saying that there had been an accident and that he was being taken to the hospital.

The FSUI pointed out the irregularities and flagged the alleged irregularities in the documents provided to Chauhan’s family. According to the union, the body’s official receipt was signed with the name “Anjana Chaurasya” instead of his wife’s real name, Ranjana Chaurasiya. Moreover, the vessel listed in Chauhan’s employment contract did not match the ship on which he was actually posted.