Lorry driven by missing Kozhikode man, Arjun, found; body recovered

The lorry driven by Arjun, a native of Kozhikode who went missing during a landslide in Shirur, Karnataka, was recovered from the Gangavali River on Wednesday. A body was also found in the truck's cabin, though its identity has not yet been confirmed.

The owner of the lorry, Manaf, confirmed that the vehicle belonged to him.

Arjun disappeared from the riverbank in Shirur after the landslide on July 16. Recently, the district administration had deployed a dredger to search for three missing individuals, including Arjun, in the Gangavali River, with the Karnataka government covering the rental costs.

Despite an initial two-week continuous search by land and water, no clues were found regarding Arjun's whereabouts. The search was paused after the Uttara Kannada administration, even with advanced instruments, failed to detect any human presence. The bad weather also impacted the search operation. However, the search resumed following a Karnataka High Court order directing the state government to continue efforts.

On Saturday, underwater search expert Eshwar Malpe recovered several vehicle parts, including tires and a steering wheel, though none were identified as belonging to the lorry driven by Arjun. On Sunday, Malpe ended his search, citing misconduct from the administration and the district police chief.

On Wednesday morning, divers from the dredging company conducted a search in the river. They spotted a black object and hooked it to a crane before returning. Around 3 pm, the object was lifted, revealing the lorry submerged at a depth of 12 meters. The vehicle was located in a section of the Gangavali River near the sea, and the operation was timed to coincide with low tide.