'No brain, heart, lungs...': Mystery deepens over Indian sailor's death in Venezuela as family alleges missing organs
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'No brain, heart, lungs...': Mystery deepens over Indian sailor's death in Venezuela as family alleges missing organs")
File photo of Rakesh Chauhan. Photograph: (X/@FSUIINDIA)
A second post-mortem allegedly found that the body was missing major organs, including the brain, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. The body also reportedly had extensive surgical stitching, with long incisions running from the neck to the lower abdomen and across the head.
In a disturbing turn, a 33-year-old Indian seafarer who died in Venezuela was found to have missing internal organs after the second post-mortem conducted in India. The family of the deceased, identified as Rakesh Chauhan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district, has demanded a thorough investigation into the incidents surrounding his death. In response to the post-mortem results, the Federation of Seafarers’ Unions of India (FSUI) has demanded accountability from Venezuelan officials and intervention by the Indian Embassy.
Chauhan, employed on a merchant navy vessel, reportedly died from a cardiac arrest in Venezuela in May. However, his family stated that when his remains were repatriated to India, they were not provided with an autopsy report or official details explaining the circumstances of his death
In a post on X, the FSUI said the family sought a second post-mortem examination after the body arrived in Deoria. The organisation claimed that the examination conducted in India found that all internal organs had been removed.
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Several organs missing
According to the FSUI, the missing organs included the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea. The body allegedly bore extensive surgical stitching, with a 22-stitch incision running from the neck to the pubic region and another 21 stitches stretching from one ear to the other.
The organisation further stated that the body had remained in deep freeze for nearly a month. It said no signs of ante-mortem injuries were detected and that the exact cause of death could not be established because the internal organs were absent. The FSUI argued that the condition of the body has raised concerns about transparency, the handling of Indian workers abroad and the accountability of the foreign authorities involved.
