An Indian student aged 25 who disappeared the previous month in the USA has been discovered dead in the state of Ohio. The Indian student, Mohammad Abdul Arfath, originated from Hyderabad and had went to the United States in the year 2023 to pursue his studies at Cleveland University.
Abdul had been missing since the previous month and his dead body had been discovered in Cleveland in the state of Ohio.
New York’s Indian consulate confirmed Abdul’s demise. The Consulate General of India in New York posted on the social media platform, X, “Anguished to learn that Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom a search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio.”
The officials have affirmed that they are in contact with the local organizations in the United States in order to warrant a meticulous investigation in the case of the demise of the University student in Cleveland.
The consulate further added, “We are extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India.”
Mohammed Saleem, Abdul’s father stated that Abdul’s family had last been in contact with him on the 7th of March after which his mobile phone was turned off. On the 19th of March, Saleem had been contacted by an unknown individual who told him that Abdul had been abducted by a gang who sold drugs and they had asked for a ransom of 1,200 US dollars.
Abdul’s father, Saleem said, “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.”
Abdul’s demise is the most recent in a chain of deaths of Indian or Indian-origin students in the United States. Abdul’s death is the 11th death alone of an Indian in the US in the year 2024. Out of these 11, eight were students.
