Four months into 2024 and the 11th case of an Indian student dying mysteriously in the US has been reported. According to various reports, he has been identified as Mohammad Abdul Arfath of Hyderabad, who had come to Cleveland University last year.
Confirming his death, the Indian Consulate in New York tweeted “Anguished to learn that Mohammad Abdul Arfath, for whom a search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio.”
He had been missing since last month and his father had even received a ransom call on March 19th from an unidentified caller who demanded $1200. The father Mohammad Saleem was quoted by a news agency as saying that “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 Arfath’s death is the latest in a string of incidents involving Indians or those of Indian-origin in the US. Of the 11 to die this year, eight were students. One of them Vivek Saini was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict. Then there was the case of 27-year-old Venkatramana Pittala who died in an accident involving a watercraft.
But the cause of death of several other students is yet to be revealed. On April 5, Satya Sai Gadde was reported dead, also in Cleveland Ohio. On March 18, Abhijit Parachuru was reported dead in Boston.
The Indian consulate in New York said it was in touch with Abdul’s family in India and would render all possible assistance to ensure his mortal remains are returned at the earliest.
Currently, there are over 2,68,000 Indian or Indian-origin students in the US. Many if not most of them are enrolled in STEM degrees.
