Missing Merchant Navy captain may be alive? Wife moves Supreme Court, cites WhatsApp clue and ransom calls
The plea argues that the assumption of Captain Kumar's death no longer stands because DNA testing did not match the recovered remains with samples provided by his younger brother
- Aug 4, 2026,
- Updated Aug 4, 2026 4:09 PM IST
The wife of Merchant Navy Captain Ashish Kumar, who was earlier presumed dead after a missile and drone attack on the merchant vessel M.T. Skylight in the Strait of Hormuz, has approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent intervention, claiming her husband is alive and being held in illegal captivity by foreign actors.
The petitioner has filed a habeas corpus plea asking the apex court to direct the Union government, through the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs, to trace, locate and produce Captain Ashish Kumar by using all available diplomatic, consular and intelligence channels, according to LiveLaw.
Captain went missing after March 1 attack
The petition, as accessed by LiveLaw, states that M.T. Skylight was anchored near Khasab Port in Oman when it allegedly came under a missile and drone attack on March 1, 2026, amid escalating regional tensions involving the United States, Iran and Israel. Of the vessel's 20 crew members, 18 were rescued, while Captain Ashish Kumar and another Indian national were reported missing. Indian authorities initially presumed the captain dead after burnt skeletal remains were recovered from the captain's cabin.
READ THIS: Women in long-term live-in relationships protected under anti-cruelty law, no marriage needed: SC
DNA evidence challenges
The plea argues that the assumption of Captain Kumar's death no longer stands because DNA testing did not match the recovered remains with samples provided by his younger brother.
According to the petition, the Indian Embassy in Muscat informed the family on May 15, 2026, that the remains recovered from the vessel did not belong to Captain Ashish Kumar. The petition also cites a Biological Technical Examination Report by the Royal Oman Police, which reportedly found no human DNA in the examined bone fragments.
WhatsApp activity and Ransom calls cited
Apart from forensic evidence, the petition relies on electronic records to support the claim that the captain survived the attack. It alleges that a WhatsApp message sent to Captain Kumar's secondary mobile phone was successfully delivered more than three hours after the attack, indicating that the device remained active. The petitioner also claims she received ransom calls on March 4, demanding ₹ 20 lakh for his release and asserting that he was alive and in captivity.
The plea further states that the WhatsApp profile linked to the captain's primary iPhone was manually deleted on March 31, well before WhatsApp's automatic inactivity deletion period of 120 days, suggesting that someone physically accessed the device.
Plea alleges inadequate government action
The petition contends that despite repeated representations to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Muscat, the Directorate General of Shipping and other authorities, no specialised cross-border investigation has been initiated.
It argues that the government's failure to effectively trace Captain Kumar violates his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. The petitioner has also sought directions for the Ministry of External Affairs to initiate high-level diplomatic engagement with Oman and relevant international maritime authorities to ascertain his whereabouts in light of the new evidence.
The wife of Merchant Navy Captain Ashish Kumar, who was earlier presumed dead after a missile and drone attack on the merchant vessel M.T. Skylight in the Strait of Hormuz, has approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent intervention, claiming her husband is alive and being held in illegal captivity by foreign actors.
The petitioner has filed a habeas corpus plea asking the apex court to direct the Union government, through the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs, to trace, locate and produce Captain Ashish Kumar by using all available diplomatic, consular and intelligence channels, according to LiveLaw.
Captain went missing after March 1 attack
The petition, as accessed by LiveLaw, states that M.T. Skylight was anchored near Khasab Port in Oman when it allegedly came under a missile and drone attack on March 1, 2026, amid escalating regional tensions involving the United States, Iran and Israel. Of the vessel's 20 crew members, 18 were rescued, while Captain Ashish Kumar and another Indian national were reported missing. Indian authorities initially presumed the captain dead after burnt skeletal remains were recovered from the captain's cabin.
READ THIS: Women in long-term live-in relationships protected under anti-cruelty law, no marriage needed: SC
DNA evidence challenges
The plea argues that the assumption of Captain Kumar's death no longer stands because DNA testing did not match the recovered remains with samples provided by his younger brother.
According to the petition, the Indian Embassy in Muscat informed the family on May 15, 2026, that the remains recovered from the vessel did not belong to Captain Ashish Kumar. The petition also cites a Biological Technical Examination Report by the Royal Oman Police, which reportedly found no human DNA in the examined bone fragments.
WhatsApp activity and Ransom calls cited
Apart from forensic evidence, the petition relies on electronic records to support the claim that the captain survived the attack. It alleges that a WhatsApp message sent to Captain Kumar's secondary mobile phone was successfully delivered more than three hours after the attack, indicating that the device remained active. The petitioner also claims she received ransom calls on March 4, demanding ₹ 20 lakh for his release and asserting that he was alive and in captivity.
The plea further states that the WhatsApp profile linked to the captain's primary iPhone was manually deleted on March 31, well before WhatsApp's automatic inactivity deletion period of 120 days, suggesting that someone physically accessed the device.
Plea alleges inadequate government action
The petition contends that despite repeated representations to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Muscat, the Directorate General of Shipping and other authorities, no specialised cross-border investigation has been initiated.
It argues that the government's failure to effectively trace Captain Kumar violates his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. The petitioner has also sought directions for the Ministry of External Affairs to initiate high-level diplomatic engagement with Oman and relevant international maritime authorities to ascertain his whereabouts in light of the new evidence.