The body of a 33-year-old Indian sailor was reportedly returned from Venezuela completely hollowed out, with almost all his vital internal organs missing. Rakesh Chauhan, a sailor from Uttar Pradesh, died in Venezuela’s Falcon state on May 7.
An autopsy conducted in India after his body was repatriated found that his brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines were missing. India has requested an urgent investigation into the case.
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What happened to Rakesh Chauhan?
Chauhan died on May 7 in Punto Fijo Falcon State in Venezuela. His death certificate attributed the cause of death to a heart attack.
He had spoken to his family from the ship on the morning of May 7. Just a few hours later, they received a call saying he had collapsed, lost consciousness and was in critical condition. They were later informed of his death.
His body arrived in India about two months later.
The second autopsy raises troubling questions
After Chauhan’s body was brought home, his family sought an autopsy again in UP.
An autopsy revealed that the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines were gone. Doctors concluded that the exact cause of death could not be determined because the missing organs made it impossible to determine whether there were fatal internal injuries.
The Seafarers’ Federation of India (FSUI), which first brought the issue to light, claimed the findings were more comprehensive. According to the federation, the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea are all missing, HT reported earlier.
“Indian sailor Rakesh Chauhan was reported dead in Venezuela. The remains were returned to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh without any autopsy report or details from the Venezuelan authorities. The family has demanded a re-post-mortem. The official post-mortem report conducted in India reveals a shocking truth: not a single organ was found in the body,” the union said in a statement.
The wife claims murder
Chouhan’s wife, Ranjana, claimed that her husband was murdered and accused the shipping company of withholding information.
“My husband went to work on a ship, was killed there, and had his organs removed. To this day, they have not given us a proper report, despite our repeated requests. They did not even return his personal belongings, did not speak to us properly, and the company representatives were dismissive,” she told news agency ANI.
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She said the family was just waiting for Chouhan’s body to return.
“We were just expecting the body to arrive. When we conducted a second autopsy here, the report revealed that not a single organ was left in the body,” she told the outlet.
“We have filed complaints everywhere, to the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and other concerned authorities, but nothing happened… I last spoke to him on May 6… I think it was only two or three hours after he left for work, my father-in-law received a phone call saying that there had been an accident and that they were taking him to the hospital,” she told ANI.
The union indicates contradictions
The FSUI also cited alleged irregularities in documents linked to Chauhan’s death.
The official receipt for the body was signed under the name “Anjana Chaurasia” instead of his wife’s actual name, Ranjana Chaurasia, according to the union. The ship listed on Chauhan’s employment contract did not match the actual ship he was stationed on when he died.
The union claimed that the body was repatriated without any local autopsy reports or official details from the Venezuelan government explaining why the organs were removed.
The union requested the Indian Embassy in Venezuela and Middle East Airlines to obtain the full autopsy report on the Venezuelan body.
India asks Venezuela to investigate
India has formally raised the matter with the Venezuelan authorities and requested an urgent investigation.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that India will not let the matter pass.
“We have discussed the matter with the Venezuelan authorities and requested an urgent investigation into the matter,” Jaiswal said during a weekly press conference.
The Indian Embassy in Caracas also confirmed that it had reached out to local authorities to demand a “thorough investigation” into the “desecration and removal of organs.”
(With inputs from Razaul H. Laskar)
