Body stitched, organs missing: Family seeks probe into Indian seafarer’s death in Venezuela

UTTAR PRADESH - The mysterious death of a 33-year-old Indian seafarer in Venezuela has sparked demands for an investigation after an autopsy in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh reportedly found all of his major internal organs missing.

The findings have prompted his family and the Federation of Seafarers’ Unions of India (FSUI) to demand a thorough investigation and intervention by the Indian government.

The case has raised questions after the man’s family says his body was repatriated without any autopsy report or official explanation from the Venezuelan authorities.

The post-mortem reportedly found that the brain, heart, lungs and several other organs were absent, making it impossible for doctors to establish the cause of death.

The man, Rakesh Chauhan, a resident of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh, had travelled to Venezuela in November 2025 to work as a crew member aboard a merchant vessel.

His family said they were initially informed by the shipping company that Chauhan had suffered injuries after falling on board and was undergoing treatment. The following morning, company officials allegedly told them there was only a 5 per cent chance of his survival.

Later that day, they were informed that Chauhan had died. When the family sought further clarification, they were allegedly told he had succumbed to injuries sustained in the fall.

The family said the company had assured them that Chauhan’s body would reach India within a week. However, his mortal remains arrived only on June 4, nearly a month after his death.

According to an NDTV news report cited by news agency IANS, doctors in Deoria initially declined to conduct another post-mortem after observing that the body appeared to have already undergone an autopsy. A fresh examination was later ordered by the district magistrate.

The post-mortem report prepared in India documented stitched incisions running from the man’s neck to his pubic symphysis and another incision extending from his left ear to his right ear across the occipital region. It also recorded that the body had remained in deep freeze from May 7 to June 5.

The report further noted that the brain, thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx, trachea, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, major blood vessels and several other internal organs were absent.

Doctors recorded that the cause of death could not be determined because the organs required for examination were missing.

Reacting to the findings, FSUI said Chauhan’s body had been returned to India without any autopsy report or official documentation explaining the circumstances of his death.

“The official post-mortem report conducted in India reveals a horrifying truth: NOT A SINGLE ORGAN was found in the body,” the federation said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

Calling the case “unacceptable”, FSUI said that seafarers were becoming “scapegoats”.

The organisation demanded “a full investigation and accountability from the Venezuelan authorities”, “immediate intervention by the Indian Embassy in Venezuela”, release of the complete autopsy report, disclosure of the circumstances surrounding Chauhan’s death and “justice and compensation for the family”. THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK