Indian seafarer’s death in Venezuela raises questions after body returns with missing organs

An Indian sailor who died in Venezuela has become the focus of an official investigation after a second post-mortem in India found that most of his vital internal organs were missing, prompting his family to allege foul play and New Delhi to seek answers from Venezuelan authorities.

Who was Rakesh Chauhan?

Rakesh Chauhan, 33, a seafarer from Uttar Pradesh, died on May 7 in Punto Fijo, in Venezuela’s Falcon state. According to his death certificate, the cause of death was a heart attack.

His family said Chauhan spoke to them from the ship on the morning of May 7. A few hours later, they were informed that he had collapsed, lost consciousness and was in critical condition. They were subsequently told that he had died.

His body was repatriated to India nearly two months later.

Second post-mortem raises questions

After the body returned, Chauhan’s family requested a second post-mortem in Uttar Pradesh.

The autopsy reportedly found that his brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines were missing. Doctors said they could not determine the exact cause of death because the absence of the organs made it impossible to establish whether he had suffered fatal internal injuries.

The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), which first highlighted the case, claimed the findings were even more extensive. According to the union, the brain, heart, both lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea were all missing.

In a statement, the FSUI said Chauhan’s remains were returned without an autopsy report or an explanation from Venezuelan authorities. It described the Indian post-mortem findings as “horrifying” and called for a full investigation.

Family alleges murder

Chauhan’s wife, Ranjana, has alleged that her husband was murdered and accused the shipping company of failing to provide key information.

“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,” she told ANI.

She said the family had contacted the Ministry of External Affairs and other authorities but had received no satisfactory explanation.

Ranjana also said she last spoke to her husband on May 6 and that only a few hours after he began work the next day, the family was informed that he had been involved in an accident and taken to hospital.

Union flags alleged discrepancies

The FSUI has also pointed to alleged inconsistencies in the documents related to Chauhan’s death.

According to the union, the receipt acknowledging the body’s handover carried the name “Anjana Chauraisya” instead of his wife’s actual name, Ranjana Chaurasiya. It also claimed the vessel listed on Chauhan’s employment contract differed from the ship on which he was serving at the time of his death.

The union further alleged that the body was repatriated without a Venezuelan autopsy report or official documentation explaining the removal of the organs, and has urged the Indian Embassy in Venezuela and the Ministry of External Affairs to obtain the complete records from local authorities.

India seeks investigation

India has formally taken up the matter with Venezuela and requested an urgent investigation.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had asked Venezuelan authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding Chauhan’s death.

The Indian Embassy in Caracas has also approached local authorities, seeking a thorough investigation into the reported removal of the organs and the circumstances under which the body was returned to India.