There is a lot of anger in the country over the incident of body parts of an Indian sailor brought from Venezuela being found missing. The Indian Embassy in the capital Caracas described the incident as an insult to the dead body and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter. Earlier, the family of deceased Rakesh Chauhan had demanded investigation into the matter.
The Indian Embassy said in a post on social media
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
— India in Venezuela (@IndiaVenezuela) July 2, 2026
died while working
Earlier, 33-year-old Indian sailor Chauhan had died while working on a merchant ship in Venezuela, but after coming to India, when his body was post-mortemed in Uttar Pradesh, many internal organs of the body were reportedly found missing. After this the family has demanded a high level investigation into the matter.
Federation of Seafarers Unions of India (FSUI) has also described this matter as serious and has demanded immediate intervention from the Indian Embassy along with fixing accountability from Venezuelan authorities.
The company informed about the injury
The family told that Rakesh Chauhan, a resident of Langra Bazar Tola of Deoria district, had gone to Venezuela as a crew member on a merchant ship through a private company in November 2025. But the company informed him in May this year that Rakesh suffered serious injuries due to the fall and he is undergoing treatment.
However, the next morning the family was told that his chances of survival were only 5 percent, and later the same day they were informed of his death.
Dead body found one month after death
The company attributed Rakesh’s death to injuries caused by a fall and also assured the family that his body would be sent back to India within a week. However, the family says that the body reached Deoria after about a month in June.
Rakesh’s family members said that the doctors who initially examined his body told them that the post-mortem had already been done, and that the post-mortem could not be conducted again without the permission of the competent authority. In such a situation, the matter reached the District Magistrate and on his orders a second post-mortem was conducted.
All body parts found missing: CMS
Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of Deoria Medical College, Dr. HK. Mishra said that according to the post-mortem report, many main internal organs of the body including brain, heart, liver, both lungs, spleen, both kidneys, pancreas, stomach and intestines were missing from Rakesh’s body. The report also revealed that thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea were also missing.
The report also recorded a stitched incision of about 60 cm long from the neck to the pubic area i.e. the lower abdominal area and another stitched incision of about 20 cm at the back of the head. It also said that the exact cause of death could not be determined due to the absence of internal organs.
Kept the family in the dark: Father
Rakesh’s father, Ramdev Chauhan, alleged that the family was kept in the dark about the circumstances surrounding his son’s death. He also claimed that he was not given any post-mortem report or official documents related to the investigation conducted abroad. Ramdev also demanded an impartial investigation into the matter from the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, strict action against the concerned company and strict punishment for those found guilty.
On the other hand, ‘Federation of Seafarers Unions of India’ said on social media that the body was sent to India without the post-mortem report and other necessary documents. The Federation demands that Venezuelan officials be held accountable in the matter and the Indian Embassy should immediately intervene. Also, the complete post mortem report should be made public. The matter should be investigated and the victim’s family should get justice and appropriate compensation.
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