The family of a Merchant Navy employee from Uttar Pradesh, who went missing from a ship near Istanbul, Turkey, has appealed to the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments for urgent intervention, saying they have not received any information about his whereabouts since July 25.

Ram Chandra Dubey, who was working as a sailor aboard a vessel near Istanbul, reportedly disappeared along with another crew member. His family alleged that the shipping company informed them about the incident a day later and has since failed to provide any meaningful updates on the search.

Family Says Contact Was Lost After July 24

Ram Chandra’s father, Ramesh Chandra Dubey, said the family last spoke to him on July 24, when he did not mention any problems and everything appeared normal.

According to him, Ram Chandra had travelled to Turkey through Deloship, a Delhi-Noida-based company, and was employed as a sailor. His initial six-month contract was extended to nine months and later prolonged by another one or two months.

“Ram Chandra had gone to Istanbul, Turkey, through the Delosis company, which is based in Delhi-Noida. He was working there on a ship as a sailor. His contract was initially for six months, but they later extended it to nine months. His nine-month contract was supposed to end on June 25th. After that, they extended his time by another month or two,” he said.

Ramesh Chandra said the family has had no contact with his son since July 25 and alleged that the company informed them about his disappearance only on July 26.

“We last spoke with him on July 24th, and everything seemed fine. Since July 25th, we haven’t heard from him. The concern, son, is that the company has only said they are missing. They didn’t even tell us on the 25th; they informed at 1:00 PM on the 26th,” he said.

Family Alleges Lack of Information From Company

The family alleged that the company has not provided clear information about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and has instead asked them to contact other authorities.

“There’s no contact happening with the company. When we ask, they tell us to ask elsewhere. They aren’t providing any proper information. They just told us that Ram Chandra and another person named Deepak Kumar Gupta are missing from the ship; they said they are missing from the vessel,” Ramesh Chandra said.

He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to intervene and help locate his son.

“I want immediate news of him. If we get news quickly, it will bring peace to our home. You can see his mother’s condition; everyone’s condition is bad. Through you, I am requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, S Jaishankar, Rajnath Singh, the Home Minister, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to help find my son as soon as possible and provide us with information,” he said.

Sister Says Family Still Awaiting Updates

Ram Chandra’s elder sister, Seemakashi Pandey, said he joined Deloship on September 25, 2025, and was expected to sign off on September 12 this year after his contract was extended by two months.

She said Ram Chandra spoke to their parents on the night of July 24 and gave no indication that he was facing any difficulties.

“Everything was fine until the 24th [of July]. He spoke with our mother and father on the night of July 24th; everything was okay, and there was no mention of any trouble from his side. But when the attack happened on July 25th, it was the company’s negligence that they did not inform us that same day. They informed us the next day that such an incident had occurred and your brother, Ram Chandra Dubey, and Deepak Kumar Gupta, two persons, are missing,” she said.

Pandey said the family has remained in regular contact with the company but has only been told to remain patient while search operations continue.

“Since then, we have had no news. There is no news of my brother. We are constantly in contact with the company, but they just tell us to have patience, saying he is missing and they are searching. We don’t see any significant results from the government’s side either. They just say ‘Search and rescue operation is underway, search and rescue operation is underway.’ It has been 10 days now, sir, and there is no trace or news,” she said.

The family has urged authorities to intensify the search operation and provide regular updates on Ram Chandra Dubey’s whereabouts as efforts to trace the missing sailors continue.

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