Ankola landslide: Karnataka govt to hand over Arjun’s mortal remains today

Bengaluru: The mortal remains of Arjun, a truck driver from Kozhikode who lost his life in the Shirur landslide, are expected to be handed over to his family by Friday evening.

The test results of DNA analysis are being awaited. A sample from Arjun’s brother, Abhijith, has already been collected for the test. Arjun’s thigh bone and a portion of his rib near the chest were sent for analysis. Once a DNA match is confirmed, the district administration will hand over the mortal remains. The delay in sending the samples to the lab is attributed to an oversight by the hospital’s forensic department.

Arjun’s final rites will be held at his family home in Kannadikkal, Kozhikode. Manaf, the truck’s owner, who had been stationed in Shirur, had already left for Kozhikode. Arjun’s brother, Abhijith, and brother-in-law, Jithin, will accompany the body in the ambulance. The Kerala government is covering the cost of transportation, and the body will be escorted home under the security of Karnataka police.

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 at the site during the recovery.

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 Belagavi in 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.