The mortal remains of two men from Kerala, both missing under different circumstances, were recovered after extensive search missions, providing long-awaited closure to their grieving families. On September 25, Arjun, a truck driver from Kozhikode who had been missing for 72 days after a landslide, was found in the Gangavali River, Karnataka. Five days later, on September 30, the remains of Thomas Cherian, a soldier missing since a 1968 Indian Air Force plane crash, were discovered in the icy Rohtang Pass, Himachal Pradesh. Both families, after years of uncertainty, finally experienced a mix of grief and relief upon learning the fate of their loved ones.
Retired Major General Indrabalan, who led both operations, highlighted the significance of closure for the families, noting its emotional, spiritual, and legal importance. While Arjun’s family clung to fading hope, Cherian’s siblings had long resigned themselves to the unknown. Cherian’s remains were recovered as part of the Indian Army’s longest-running search and recovery operation, with Dogra Scouts leading expeditions in treacherous terrain to recover bodies from the 1968 crash site.
Both missions were monumental, with Indrabalan praising the technological advances in search operations, such as the deployment of drones equipped with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) during Arjun’s recovery. Despite the immense challenges, these efforts brought peace to two families and underscored the military’s commitment to ensuring closure for missing persons.
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