Family Claims Body Returned from Venezuela Lacked Vital Organs
New Delhi, July 1 – The relatives of Indian sailor Rakesh Chauhan have raised alarming concerns after a second post‑mortem in India showed that the body returned from Venezuela was missing all major internal organs. The 33‑year‑old from Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, died in May while serving on a merchant ship.
According to the family, the original autopsy report from Venezuelan authorities did not disclose a cause of death and provided no official paperwork. When the corpse arrived in India, doctors performed a re‑examination and found that the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and several other structures were completely absent.
The Federation of Seafarers’ Unions of India (FSUI) has demanded a full, transparent inquiry into the handling of the body, calling the omission of organs a serious breach of forensic standards. The union also seeks diplomatic intervention by the Indian embassy in Venezuela and compensation for the family.
The report notes extensive suturing – 22 stitches running from the neck down to the pubic area and 21 across the skull – and indicates that the body had been stored in a deep‑freeze unit from early May to early June. The corpse exhibited a blue discoloration with portions of skin detaching.
Chauhan’s employer initially informed the family that he had sustained injuries from a fall on board, later changing the explanation to a heart‑related death. The shipping company promised to return his remains within 60 days, but the body was handed over on June 4, almost a month after his death.
Local doctors in Deoria first examined the remains in the presence of police but refused a full autopsy without a magistrate’s order. After the district magistrate authorized a second post‑mortem, the absence of all essential organs was confirmed.
Medical experts point out that forensic examinations normally retrieve certain organs for analysis, and the total lack of these tissues is highly abnormal. The absence of a definitive death certificate from either the Venezuelan authorities or the shipping line has intensified the family’s call for an independent investigation.