Shirur: Arjun’s two phones, clothes, utensils, food items, a bag, a watch, and a toy bought for his son, were recovered from the lorry's cabin in the Gangavali River on Thursday. These items were discovered while dismantling the truck that had been retrieved from the river the previous day. Authorities decided to dismantle the truck to collect the remaining body parts found inside the cabin.
Yesterday, Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail reported that 75% of the body parts were recovered from the lorry. Arjun’s brother-in-law, Jithin, mentioned that Arjun’s wife had expressed a desire to bring the personal items used by Arjun during his final moments back home.
The mortal remains of Arjun, the truck driver who went missing in a landslide at Karnataka's Shirur, will be handed over to relatives by Friday. The DNA samples were collected and sent for testing to a forensic lab in Hubballi on Thursday. According to Uttara Kannada district collector Lakshmi Priya, the DNA test results are expected within two days.
State to bear expenses
Kerala Forest and Wildlife Minister A K Saseendran has assured us that the state government will bear all the expenses for bringing Arjun's mortal remains home. The state has directed Kozhikode collector Snehil Kumar Singh IAS to coordinate with Uttara Kannada district authorities to make necessary arrangements.
While speaking to Manorama News, Arjun's brother-in-law Jithin thanked the authorities for their extensive help. “We are extremely grateful to many people, including Kozhikode MLA Raghavan, Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail, MP KC Venugopal, truck owner Manaf and many others for helping with this mission,” he said. Arjun's sister Anju also thanked everyone involved in the mission, including Eshwar Malpe, for their assistance. "Our hope faded with each passing day. But we wanted to know what happened to him. We wanted to bring our Kuttan (Arjun) back home," she said.
Arjun’s body and the truck he drove were recovered from the Gangavali river on Wednesday during an intensive search operation led by the Karnataka government using a dredging machine. His sister, Anju, and the truck’s owner, Manaf, were present at the site during the recovery. Parts of the truck, including a mudguard, engine, and crash guard, had been found earlier.
Jomon, a Malayalam-speaking diving expert in the Shirur mission team, told Manorama News that Arjun's lorry was submerged in water and covered in mud. Jomon also mentioned that they identified the lorry by the word "strong" written on it.
The incident
Arjun, along with two others, went missing on July 16 following a massive landslide on National Highway 66 at Ankola’s Shirur. When the incident happened, he was en route to Kerala from Karnataka with a truckload of wood. Although the Karnataka government launched a search operation shortly after, it was suspended on July 28 due to adverse weather and strong river currents. Authorities later concluded that the truck was likely trapped under riverbed silt and brought in a dredging machine from Goa, with the Karnataka government covering the full cost of the operation.
