Karnataka landslide: Kerala lorry driver Arjun's body identified through DNA test, to be brought home tomorrow

By Deepu Mohan | First Published Sep 27, 2024, 5:31 PM IST

The body of Arjun, a truck driver from Kozhikode, missing since July 16 landslide in Shiruru, Karnataka, has been identified through DNA testing. Ambulance with police escort will transport body to Kerala, accompanied by MLA Satish Sail and possibly Karwar SP M. Narayan.

The body recovered from a truck in the Gangavali River in Shiruru, Karnataka, has been confirmed to be that of Arjun, a resident of Kannadikkal, Kozhikode, through DNA testing. With the DNA results in hand, the procedures to bring the body back home will commence. Jithin, Arjun’s brother-in-law, mentioned that only technical formalities remain and that they expect to have the body home by tomorrow morning.

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A CI-ranked officer from the Karnataka police has been assigned to ensure security for the ambulance carrying Arjun. Satish Sail, the MLA from Karwar, will accompany the ambulance. If approval is received from the Chief Minister’s office, Karwar SP M. Narayan will also accompany the body. All necessary arrangements, including the ambulance and mobile freezer for the journey to Kerala, are ready.

Arjun, a truck driver, went missing following a landslide in Shiruru on July 16 at 8:45 AM. Four days later, on July 19, the news about Arjun’s disappearance was first reported by Asianet News.

The heavy rains in Shiruru post-landslide made the search challenging. Initially, searches were conducted in the river, but rising water levels rendered those efforts ineffective. Later, the focus shifted to the ground where the landslide had occurred, but no results were found there either and the operation was temporarily halted. Subsequently, dredgers were brought in from Goa, and the Arjun Mission was reinitiated. It was only after 72 days that Arjun's truck was discovered in the Gangavali River, with parts of the body found in a decomposed state in the cabin.

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