Shirur: The owner of the lorry, Manaf, has confirmed that the vehicle recovered from the Gangavali River belongs to Arjun, who went missing 71 days ago following a landslide. Manaf stated, "This is our lorry, and Arjun's body was inside it."

In an emotional reflection, Manaf lamented the loss, saying, "Many had given up hope. I never gave up hope. I’ve always said he was in that vehicle, and now it seems I was right. I had promised Arjun's father that I would bring him back. We hoped to return him alive, but now, at least he has been brought back, albeit in this manner."

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Karnataka Landslide: After 71 days, Arjun's lorry recovered from Gangavali River

The search for Arjun was suspended on August 17 due to difficulties in removing mud. For several days, operations remained uncertain. Although there were plans to bring in a dredger, funding became an issue due to the estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. However, after Arjun's family met with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the decision was made to resume the search, with the state government covering the cost for the dredger rental.

Body remains recovered

The body suspected to be that of missing Kerala lorry driver Arjun was recovered along with his vehicle on Wednesday from the Gangavali river, more than two months after a landslide at Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district, police said.

The July 16 landslide on National Highway 66 claimed the lives of eight people. With the recovery of Arjun's body, the death toll has gone up to nine, they said.

The search operations started soon after the landslide were halted on July 28 due to adverse weather conditions, high river current and other factors.

However, they were resumed later. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah requesting him to resume operations to trace the lorry driver from Kozhikode.

"The body of missing driver from Kerala, Arjun was recovered along with his lorry from Gangawali river. The body was found inside the cabin of the vehicle," Superintendent of Police (Karwar), Narayana M, told PTI. (With inputs from Agencies)