Kutch: The body of a West Bengal-based engineer who went missing on April 6 was recovered on Thursday evening from the Little Rann of Kutch, concluding a large-scale search operation involving the BSF, local police, central agencies, and forest officials.

Arnab Pal, employed with a private firm working on renewable energy and BSF infrastructure projects, was found near Mauvana village, a remote desert area located some distance from Bela village—the point of entry into the restricted zone, which Pal had accessed with official BSF clearance last Sunday, along with a driver and an assistant.

“His body was found between 6 pm and 7 pm near Mauvana,” confirmed Sagar Bagmar, SP of Kutch East. Preliminary reports suggest death due to heatstroke and dehydration, though a panel postmortem will be conducted on Friday to determine the exact cause.

Pal had entered the area with driver Mohammad Ganikhan and assistant Chelaram Mitharam for a site survey. After their vehicle broke down, Pal and Mitharam proceeded on foot. Mitharam, exhausted, stayed behind, while Pal continued and lost communication. While the driver and Mitharam were traced shortly afterward, Pal remained missing until Thursday.

The intensive search effort involved over 40 personnel from five police stations, BSF units, forest department teams, local trackers, and drone surveillance. DeshGujarat