Rakesh Chauhan, 33, died in the Venezuelan state of Falcón on May 7 after a heart attack, according to a death certificate issued by a medical facility in the South American country. However, an autopsy done in Uttar Pradesh after his body was repatriated last month showed the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines were not present.

Chauhan’s family has alleged that he was murdered and his case has been taken up by the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) and several lawmakers.

When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the matter at a regular weekly briefing, he replied: “We have taken up the matter with Venezuelan authorities with a request to urgently investigate the matter. We’ll keep you updated in that regard.”

Earlier, the Indian embassy in Caracas said in a social media post that it had sought a “thorough investigation” by Venezuelan authorities on the “desecration and removal of organs” from the body of Chauhan. The embassy said it has “continued to pursue this matter with the concerned local authorities since the incident came to light”.

The matter was first highlighted by the FSUI late last month after Chauhan’s body was sent back to the country almost two months after his death. The doctors who performed the autopsy in Uttar Pradesh concluded that the cause of death could not be determined and that the absence of the organs made it impossible to establish whether there were any injuries related to the death.

Chauhan last spoke to his family on the morning of May 7 from his vessel. Soon after, his family was informed that he had fallen, lost consciousness and was in a critical condition. They were later notified of his death.

CPI-M lawmaker John Brittas has written a letter to external affairs minister S Jaishankar which said the Venezuelan authorities should be asked to provide a comprehensive account of the death in view of the “extraordinary” allegations related to the case.