India Demands Answers, Seeks Full Probe After Sailor Rakesh Chauhan's Body Returns From Venezuela With 'Missing' Organs

New Delhi: The Indian Embassy in Venezuela sought a thorough investigation by the Venezuelan authorities into the alleged desecration and removal of organs from the mortal remains of Indian sailor Rakesh Chauhan.

In a statement, the Embassy of India in Caracas said it has been pursuing the matter with the local authorities since the incident came to light.

"The Embassy of India, Caracas has sought a thorough investigation by Venezuelan authorities on the desecration and removal of organs of the mortal remains of late Shri. Rakesh Chauhan. Mission has continued to pursue this matter with the concerned local authorities since the incident came to light," the embassy said.

What's the case

The development comes after Chauhan's wife, Ranjana, alleged that her husband died under suspicious circumstances in Venezuela and claimed that his organs were removed before his body was sent back to India.

'He was murdered there..

The wife of the sailor alleged that the company employing her husband failed to provide any proper explanation regarding his death.

She said, "My husband had gone to work on a ship; he was murdered there, and his organs were removed. To this day, they haven't given us a proper report, despite our repeated requests. They didn't even return his personal belongings; they wouldn't even speak to us properly; the company representatives were dismissive."

She further said that the family initially waited for the body to arrive in India and later decided to conduct a second post-mortem.

She went on to add, "We were just expecting the body to arrive. When we had a second post-mortem done here, the report revealed that not a single organ remained in the body. We lodged complaints everywhere, with the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and other relevant authorities, but nothing came of it... I last spoke to him on 6 May... I think it was only two or three hours after he left for duty that my father-in-law received a call saying there had been an accident and that they were taking him to the hospital," she added.

What FSUI said

The Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) also raised the issue and claimed that the post-mortem conducted in India found no internal organs in Chauhan's body. According to the union, the brain, heart, both lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea were all reportedly missing.

In a statement, the FSUI said, "SHOCKING CASE -- Indian Seafarer Rakesh Chauhan reported dead in Venezuela. Mortal remains sent back to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh without any autopsy report or details from Venezuelan authorities. Family demanded re-autopsy. The official Post-Mortem Report conducted in India reveals a horrifying truth: NOT A SINGLE ORGAN was found in the body."

The FSUI urged the Embassy of India in Venezuela and the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene urgently. The FSUI also alleged irregularities in the documentation related to the return of Chauhan's mortal remains.

"The receipt for mortal remains was forged -- signed in the name of 'Anjana Chauraisya' instead of 'Ranjana Chaurasiya' (on behalf of his wife). The vessel name mentioned in the employment agreement does not match the vessel where he was actually posted," it said. 

India Vs Venezuela post-mortem report

The Indian post-mortem report, prepared in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, records that no ante-mortem external injuries were found. However, it repeatedly notes that major internal organs, including the brain, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, stomach and intestines, were "missing".

The report states that the cause of death could not be ascertained, specifically noting that it was not possible to determine because all organs were missing.

In contrast, the Vezuelan medical documents describe findings relating to several internal structures, including the heart, lungs, mediastinum, and major blood vessels. The report notes findings such as an enlarged mediastinum and, in one document, an enlarged cardiac silhouette, while stating there was no evidence of lung lesions or mediastinal masses.

Crucially, the Venezuelan documentation officially attributes the cause of death to an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), brought on by bilateral pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs) and hypertensive heart disease.

In stark contrast, the Indian autopsy report states that the cause of death could not be ascertained because the thoracic and abdominal cavities were completely empty, with all major internal organs missing at the time of examination.

However, the authenticity and chain of custody of the Venezuelan post-mortem documents are yet to be officially verified by Indian authorities.

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