"We urge govt to bring his body back to India": Father of student killed in Ohio

Mohammed Abdul Arfath, a native of Hyderabad, who has been missing since March this year, has been found dead in the US state of Ohio, the Consulate General of India in New York said on Tuesday.

Mohammed Saleem, father of deceased Mohd Arafat, said, "I filed the complaint on March 7 that my son went missing. Since then, we haven't got any information. Today morning, we got the call that my son's body was in the river. We urge the government to bring his body back to India."

"I appeal to state government and Central government to bring back his son's body to house," Mohd Saleem said.

The Consulate General of India in New York said it is "anguished" to learn about the death of Mohammed Abdul Arfath and is 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 underway, 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 said that all possible assistance is being extended to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India.

25-year-old Mohd Arfath went to the US for his Master's degree in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but has been missing since March 7 this year.

His father, Mohd Saleem, said that after ten days, they received a phone call from an unidentified person who claimed Arafat had been kidnapped and demanded a USD 1200 ransom for his release.

Recently, the Indian community has seen a rise in such tragedies.

Last week, Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio, died and a police investigation is underway.

Earlier this 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. (ANI)