Missing Indian student found dead in Cleveland, Ohio

CLEVELAND (Ohio), Apr 9: An Indian student, Mohammed Abdul Arfath, who was missing from Cleveland since March 7 and for whose release a ransom demand was made to his parents, is dead.

Arfath, 25, from Hyderabad, who moved to the US last year to pursue his master’s degree in IT from Cleveland State University, was found dead in Ohio’s Cleveland, the Indian consulate in New York announced in a social media post on X on Tuesday.

The post said the consulate is "extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India.”

“Anguished to learn that Mr. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom the search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio. Our deepest condolences to Mr Mohammed Arfath’s family. The Indian embassy in New York 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,” the post on X read.

Arfath’s parents had received a call demanding a ransom of $1200 for releasing their son. The caller reportedly kidnapped him and threatened to sell his kidney, but did not provide details of means of payment.

Arfath’s father, Mohammed Saleem, said, "He is my only son. He said he was missing us and his friends and wanted to come home. I told him that he could do so during his vacations, and if needed, I would send him the airfare. The last time I spoke to him was on March 7, but that was only for a few seconds. He called his friend the next day and spoke to him. I am told that a detective (a police officer) is handling the case,” the Hindu quoted.

"After 10 days, we got a call on WhatsApp, that 'your son' was kidnapped and asked for a USD 1200 ransom. I urge the State Government and Central Government to find my son," Saleem said.

Saleem's brother, who also lives in the US, but at another place, filed a missing person complaint with the police after a visit to his place.

The family had contacted the External Affairs Ministry to help find their son after receiving the "ransom call."

This year so far, in three months, there have been at least 10 deaths of Indian or Indian-origin students in the US.

Last week, Uma Satya Sai Gadde, another Indian student, also of Cleveland university, was found dead.

Dancer Amarnath Ghosh was shot dead on February 27 in St. Louis, Missouri. Sameer Kamath's body was found in an Indiana forest. 25-year-old Vivek Saini, who used to work part-time in a convenience store, was brutally killed by a homeless man. 20-year-old Paruchuri Abhijit from Andhra Pradesh was killed by unidentified assailants and his body was later found dumped in a car deep inside a forest. Syed Mazahir Ali, a student from Hyderabad studying in Chicago sustained severe injuries in an armed robbery near his residence in Chicago. Another case was of death of Neel Acharya at Purdue University. On February 1, Shreyas Reddy, a student in Ohio, was found dead. In January, two Telugu students, G Dinesh (22) from Wanaparthy, Telangana, and Nikesh (21) from Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, were found dead in their Connecticut home.

A year ago, Jaahnavi Kandula, an Indian immigrant student. was ran over and brutally killed by a Seattle Police Officer, Kevin Dave. She was 23.

Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, sustained life-threatening injuries in an assault at a restaurant in Washington in February.

The Indian Embassy in Washington and its consulates held a virtual meeting with Indian students from various universities in February to discuss their well-being.

However, there is no data to confirm if only Indian students are targeted and if so, why.