Sri Vijaya Puram, May 25: After nearly two days of search operations, the body of a man employed as Chief Engineer on a private tug boat operating under a naval area was recovered from the water on Sunday, police sources said.
The deceased has been identified as Vijeyendra Arun Bahugra, aged between 41 and 43 years. According to sources, he had been missing since the morning of May 23.
Sources informed that his absence initially went unnoticed by crew members aboard the vessel. However, between 8:30 am and 9 am on May 23, crew members reportedly realised that he was missing and immediately began searching the surrounding area.
Following the discovery of his disappearance, members of the crew reportedly contacted Navy personnel and examined nearby CCTV footage in an attempt to trace his movements. However, no clear clue emerged from the footage, sources said.
A missing complaint was subsequently lodged at the Chatham police station, after which search operations were intensified. Police teams and other personnel continued the search operation over the past two days in and around the waters near the naval area.
Today, the body of Vijeyendra Arun Bahugra was found floating in the water, bringing the search operation to a tragic end.
Officials said the exact circumstances leading to the incident are still unclear. Investigators are examining whether the deceased accidentally fell into the water after experiencing dizziness or whether some other circumstances may have been involved.
Police have initiated further investigation and are probing the matter from all possible angles. Authorities are also expected to conduct post-mortem examinations and gather additional evidence to determine the cause of death.
The incident has reportedly caused concern among maritime workers and crew members associated with vessels operating in the area, particularly over safety monitoring and emergency response mechanisms aboard tug boats and other marine vessels.
Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.
