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Mohammed Abdul Arfath, a student from Hyderabad studying IT at Cleveland University, has been missing since March 7. His family received a ransom call demanding nearly Rs 1 lakh allegedly from a drug-dealing gang. Arfath’s parents seek the central government’s assistance in locating him.
Following reports of Arfath’s disappearance and the ransom call, the Indian Consulate in New York has affirmed its cooperation with the victim’s family and US law enforcement agencies to expedite the search for the missing student. Arfath, aged 25 and hailing from Nacharam, Hyderabad, went to the US in May last year for his IT Masters at Cleveland University, Ohio.
According to his father, Mohammed Saleem, Arfath last contacted them on March 7 and has since remained out of touch, with his phone switched off. Arfath’s roommates in the US have informed Saleem that they reported him missing to the Cleveland Police.
On March 19, Arfath’s family received a call demanding $1,200 for his release, purportedly from a drug gang, along with threats to sell his kidneys if the ransom wasn’t paid.
Saleem has reached out to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and urged the central government to ensure Arfath’s safe return. Cleveland Police described Arfath as wearing a white T-shirt, red jacket, and blue jeans in their alert.
This incident adds to a series of deaths and attacks on Indian students in the US in 2024. Despite initial investigations ruling out foul play in some cases, concerns over the safety of Indian students persist. The Consulate has been actively engaged in addressing these concerns, including the recent case of Abhijeeth Paruchuru’s death in Boston and the attack on Neel Acharya at Purdue University West Lafayette campus.
