Hyderabadi student, 'kidnapped' in March, found dead in Cleveland, USA

HYDERABAD: A Hyderabadi student, Mohd Arafat, who has been missing since March this year, has been found dead in Ohio, USA. The Consulate General of India in New York confirmed this news on Tuesday.

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

“Anguished to learn that Mr. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was under way, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio. Our deepest condolences to Mr Mohammed Arfath’s family," the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X.

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

Arafat, a native of Hyderabad and a resident of Nacharam, went to the US to pursue a Master’s degree in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but went missing since March 7 this year.

His father, Mohd Saleem, said that after ten days, he received a phone call from an unidentified person who claimed that Arafat was kidnapped and demanded a ransom of $1,200 for his release.

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

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 under way.

In 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.