A 25-year-old Indian student, who went missing a month ago in the United States, has been found dead in Ohio. The student, identified as Mohammad Abdul Arfath, hailed from Hyderabad and had reportedly gone to the US in 2023 to study at Cleveland University.
He went missing last month and has been found dead in Cleveland, Ohio.
Arfath’s death was confirmed by the Indian consulate in New York. “Anguished to learn that Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom a search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio,” the Consulate General of India in New York tweeted.
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The consulate said it was in touch with local agencies in the US to ensure a thorough investigation into the death of the Cleveland University student.
“We are extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India,” the consulate further said.
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Arfath’s father Mohammed Saleem said they last spoke on March 7 and then his cellphone was switched off. On March 19, Saleem received a call from an unidentified person, who said Arfath had been kidnapped by a gang selling drugs and demanded USD 1,200.
“I got a call from an unknown number, and the caller informed me that my son had been kidnapped and demanded money. The caller did not mention the mode of payment. When I asked the caller to let us talk to my son, he refused,” Saleem told news agency PTI.
On March 21, the Consulate General of India had said that it was in touch with the Arfath’s family and authorities in the US to find him at the earliest.
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Abdul’s death is the latest in a string of incidents involding Indian or Indian-origin students in the US. He is the eleventh Indian to die in the US in 2024. Eight of them were students.
On April 5, the Indian Consulate reported the death of Uma Satya Sai Gadde in Cleveland, Ohio. On March 18, Abhijeeth Paruchuru, an Indian student in Boston, passed away.
The back-to-back deaths have left Indian students in the US and their families in India shocked and worried. Of the eight students who have died, 25-year-old Vivek Saini was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict and 27-year-old Venkataramana Pittala died in a watercraft accident. The cause of death of several other students is yet to be confirmed.
(With inputs from PTI)
