Tragic News: Hyderabad Student Found Dead in the US

Mohammed Abdul Arfath, a 25-year-old student from Hyderabad, who went to the US in 2023 to study for his master’s degree at Cleveland State University, was tragically discovered dead in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Indian embassy in New York shared the sad news on Tuesday, revealing that Arfath had been missing for almost three weeks before his body was found. They expressed their deepest sympathies to his family and assured that they are working closely with local authorities to investigate his death thoroughly. The embassy also pledged to assist in repatriating Arfath's remains back to India.

Arfath's parents had received a distressing call a month prior, demanding a ransom of one lakh rupees for their son's safety. The caller claimed to have abducted Arfath and threatened to harm him if the ransom was not paid. Despite their efforts, Arfath's father, Mohammed Saleem, was unable to reach a resolution with the abductors, who demanded $1200 for his release.

Speaking to The Hindu, Saleem expressed his anguish over the situation, describing Arfath as his only son who longed to return home to his family and friends. The last contact Saleem had with Arfath was a brief phone call on March 7. Since then, the investigation has been handled by local authorities in the US.

Arfath was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, a red jacket, and blue jeans, according to US officials. His untimely demise adds to a distressing pattern of Indian students and individuals of Indian descent dying in mysterious circumstances in the US, prompting concern within the Indian community abroad.