An Indian merchant seaman was killed in a US missile strike in the Gulf hours after a frantic phone call to his wife, sources have confirmed. The man, identified as Ajay Singh, 34, was aboard a cargo vessel struck by a US drone as tensions spiralled in the Strait of Hormuz. His last words, captured in a phone recording shared with this newsroom, were a desperate plea: 'Tell the children I love them. The sky is on fire.'
Singh’s death has ignited fury in New Delhi and urgent calls from London for de-escalation. The UK Foreign Office has issued a terse statement urging 'restraint from all parties' as the death toll mounts. But the White House remains defiant, claiming the strike was 'targeted and precise' against Iranian-backed militia.
Documents obtained by this newspaper reveal that Singh’s vessel was flagged under a Marshall Islands registry, part of a fleet of commercial ships shuttling goods through a maritime corridor that has become a shooting gallery. The UK’s plea for calm comes as Iran warns of 'severe consequences' for any further attacks.
For Singh’s family in Mumbai, there is no de-escalation. Only a body bag and a recording of a man who knew he was already dead.
