Bengaluru: A DNA test has confirmed that the mortal remains recovered from the Gangavali River belonged to Arjun, a truck driver from Kozhikode who lost his life in the Shirur landslide. The district administration will soon hand over the remains to his family.
A sample from Arjun’s brother, Abhijith, was collected for the test. Arjun’s thigh bone and a portion of his rib near the chest were sent for analysis.
Arjun’s final rites will be held at his residence in Kannadikkal, Kozhikode. 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.