25-year-old Indian student found dead in US, went to Ohio in 2023

A 25-year-old Indian student, who went missing since last month, has been found dead in the US city of Cleveland.

Mohammad Abdul Arfath, hailing from Nacharam, Hyderabad, arrived in the US last year in May to pursue a Master's in IT from Cleveland University.

The Indian Consulate in New York while confirming news on Tuesday, “Anguished to learn that Mr. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio. Our deepest condolences to Mr Mohammed Arfath's family," the consulate said in a post on X.

"@IndiainNewYork is in touch with local agencies to ensure thorough investigation into Mr Mohammed Abdul Arfath's death. We are extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India," it added.

This has been a second such incident within a week. Last week, an Indian student in Ohio, Uma Satya Sai Gadde, died and police are investigating the case.

Arfath had been missing for nearly three weeks, and the consulate had earlier said it was in touch with Abdul's family and was working with local law enforcement agencies to locate him, reported NDTV. 

This morning, the embassy said he was found dead.

Mohammed Saleem, Arfath’s father had said they last spoke on March 7 after which his cell phone 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 was quoted as saying by PTI.

This year, several Indian and Indian-origin students have died which has left the families in India shocked and worried. 

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 students is yet to be confirmed. 

According to the US, over 2.6 lakh Indian students migrated to the country in the 2022-2023 session. This was a 35 per cent jump from the previous session.