Heart wrenching moments unfolded in Kannadikkal village in Kerala’s Kozhikode district on Saturday, September 28, when the mortal remains of Arjun, who went missing in a landslide in Karnataka’s Shirur, was brought home. 

It was after 75 days of agonising search that Arjun’s body was recovered and brought back home. His funeral was conducted among a sea of mourners, including several politicians cutting across party lines. 

It was on July 16 that Arjun went missing when the landslide swept his Bharat-Benz truck, loaded with 40 tonnes of timber, off the Panvel-Kanyakumari NH-66 near Karnataka’s Shirur. Due to the heavy rain and strong river currents in Gangavali River, the initial day’s efforts to retrieve his vehicle and body failed. The issue gathered so much media attention, with Arjun's family and the lorry owner, Manaf, remaining in Shirur throughout the extended search.

After different attempts and breaks, due to unfavourable weather conditions, on September 25, the truck Arjun was driving was recovered from the Gangavali River and his body was found inside the truck. On September 21, the search restarted with Uttara Kannada district authorities, in collaboration with the Navy and NDRF.

After the recovery of the body, the Karnataka government conducted a DNA test to confirm whether it was Arjun’s. His relatives received the body on Friday, September 27 evening and transported the body via road.

Hundreds of people along with politicians gathered in his house to pay homage. According to reports, people gathered came from different parts of the state.

Ministers AK Saseendran and Mohammad Riyas, MPs M K Raghavan and Shafi Parambil, MLA KK Rema and Kozhikode district collector Snehil Kumar Singh attended the funeral. Underwater search expert Eshwar Malpe, who played a major role in the search operations, also arrived at his house to pay homage.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government announced five lakhs compensation for Arjun’s family.