Organs missing from Indian seafarer's body brought from Venezuela, alleges family; seeks probe

DEORIA: The family of a 33-year-old Indian seafarer, whose body was repatriated from Venezuela after he died while serving on a merchant vessel, has sought a high-level investigation after a post-mortem examination in Uttar Pradesh allegedly found several internal organs missing.

The Federation of Seafarers' Unions of India (FSUI) has also termed the matter serious and demanded accountability from the Venezuelan authorities and immediate intervention by the Indian Embassy.

Rakesh Chauhan, a resident of Langra Bazar Tola in the Deoria district, travelled to Venezuela in November 2025 as a crew member on a merchant ship through a private company, his family said.

According to his family, the company informed them in May this year that Chauhan had sustained serious injuries after a fall and was undergoing treatment.

The next morning, they were told that his chances of survival were only five per cent, and later the same day, they were informed of his death.

The company attributed the death to injuries suffered in the fall and assured the family that the body would be sent to India within a week. However, the body reached Deoria about a month later in June, they said.

Family members said doctors who initially examined the body informed them that a post-mortem had already been conducted and a fresh autopsy could not be performed without the competent authority's approval.

A second post-mortem was carried out two days ago on the orders of the district magistrate.

Chief Medical Superintendent, Deoria Medical College, Dr HK Mishra said that according to the post-mortem report, several major internal organs, including the brain, heart, both lungs, liver, both kidneys, spleen, pancreas, stomach and intestines, were missing. The report also noted that the thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea were missing.

The report further recorded a stitched incision extending about 60 cm from the neck to the pubic region and another stitched incision of about 20 cm across the back of the head. It said the exact cause of death could not be ascertained due to the absence of internal organs.

Rakesh Chauhan's father, Ramdev Chauhan, alleged that the family was kept in the dark about the circumstances surrounding his son's death. He claimed that no post-mortem report or official documents relating to the examination conducted abroad had been provided to them.

He demanded an impartial investigation by the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government, action against the company concerned and strict punishment for those found responsible.

In a statement posted on X, the Federation of Seafarers' Unions of India said the body had been sent to India without the post-mortem report and other mandatory documents.

It demanded that the Venezuelan authorities be held accountable, the Indian Embassy intervene immediately, the complete post-mortem report be made public, the circumstances leading to the seafarer's death be thoroughly investigated, and the bereaved family be provided justice and adequate compensation.