Indian Merchant Navy personnel Rikshit Chauhan, a native of Himachal Pradesh, has been arrested by US forces from an oil tanker with a Russian flag in the Atlantic, according to Indian media reports on Monday.
Chauhan, aged 26, is on his first foreign posting when an inspection by US authorities resulted in his arrest on January 7 near a sea port.
According to reports, Chauhan was on loan from a Russian firm for a mission in Venezuela. Since the interception, Indian authorities have not been able to establish contact with him.
He was supposed to be married on the 19th of February, which is only about a month away.
The development has raised eyebrows among Indian officials and Chauhan’s family, who have called on the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister to ensure that he safely returns home.
“We urge the government to take immediate action to ensure that our son safely returns home,” a family spokesperson said.
There were 28 members of the crew in the ship, which comprised three Indians, 22 Ukrainians, six Georgians, and two Russian. Although the other two Russian members have been released, the rest, along with the Indian officers, are held in U.S. detention. Chauhan’s colleagues from Goa and Kerala are also on board.
