Missing Infosys employee confirmed dead in Brussels terror attacks

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Infosys techie Raghvendran Ganesan, 31, who had been missing since the twin terror attacks that shook Brussels on March 22, was confirmed dead late Monday evening. Following a DNA test, the Belgian authorities identified him as the sole Indian victim of the terror strikes that have killed 35 people and injured over 300.Ganesan’s last call had been traced to the Metro in the Belgian capital. He took the Metro route for work every day and had last spoken to his Mumbai-based parents over Skype just an hour before the attacks. A friend said he had even marked himself safe on Facebook after the two blasts at the Zaventem airport.In a tragic twist of fate, he went missing after a third bomb went off at Maelbeek Metro station on the rue de la Loi, close to the European Union headquarters, nearly an hour later.Authorities from the Indian embassy in Belgium said Infosys techie Raghvendran Ganesan’s body, which had been kept at the military hospital in Brussels, will be handed over to his younger brother Chandrasekar and parents Annapoorni and Ganesan C, all of whom are currently there. The body will be brought to Chennai via Amsterdam on Tuesday.Ajay Agrawal, second secretary (consular) said, “The medical identification process in Belgium is very strict. The identification was established after DNA testing. There were other factors too that have contributed in the identification process.”Ganesan went to Brussels four years ago to work on an Infosys project with Proximus. He became a father just last month. His wife Vaishali and 40-day-old son are currently in Chennai.External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier tweeted that the government was trying its best to locate Ganesan. On Thursday morning, she had also tweeted that they had tracked his last call and that he had been travelling by the metro.Recounting her last conversation with her son, Ganesan’s mother Annapoorni had told TOI on Thursday last: “He spoke to me at around 1pm. He said he is heading to work... He takes the same metro route to reach his office. Since then, nobody has managed to get in touch with him.”PM Narendra Modi will preside over a memorial meeting for Ganesan as well as other victims of the attacks during his stay in Brussels on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Infosys released a statement late Monday evening saying, “It is with deep regret that we confirm the passing of our colleague Raghavendran Ganesan in the terrible attack in Brussels. Our thoughts and prayers are with Raghavendran’s family and with those who were injured or lost a loved one in these attacks. We will continue to provide all possible support to his family in this hour of grief.”