NEW DELHI: The body of the captain of the ill-fated ‘Dhruv’ advanced light helicopter (ALH) of the Coast Guard that crashed into the Arabian Sea over a month ago has finally been found after a massive search operation. Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana (38), who was leading the medical evacuation from an Indian-flagged motor tanker Hari Leela around 45 km off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat, went missingon Sept 2.
While one member of the crew was rescued safely, the bodies of co-pilot Commandant Vipin Babu and aircrew diver Karan Singh were found later. Since then, the Coast Guard and the Navy “relentlessly” conducted the search operation, which included more than 70 air sorties and 82 ship days, for Commandant Rana. “His mortal remains were retrieved from the sea on Thursday,” an official said.