Indian Consulate 'anguished' at death of missing student in Ohio

An Indian student who has been missing since March this year has been found dead in the US state of Ohio, the Consulate General of India in New York said on Tuesday.

The Consulate said it is "anguished" to learn about the death of Mohammed Abdul Arfath and is in touch with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into his death.

It said that all possible assistance is being extended to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India.

Arafat, a native of Hyderabad, went to the US for his Master's degree in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but was missing since March 7 this year.

His father, Mohd Saleem, said that after ten days, they received a phone call from an unidentified person who claimed Arafat had been kidnapped and demanded for a USD 1200 ransom for his release.

On March 21, the Consulate General of India in New York said they are in touch with Arfath's family and authorities in the US to find him.

It had made the statement on X in response to a post that mentioned that 25-year-old Hyderabad student had gone missing and his father received a call to pay a ransom of USD 1200.

Recently the Indian community has seen a rise of such tragedies.

Last week Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio died and police investigation is underway.

Earlier this February, an Indian student faced a brutal attack in Chicago. Following the attack, the Indian Consulate in Chicago stated that it was in touch with the victim, Syed Mazahir Ali, as well as his wife in India.

(ANI)