The Consulate General of India in New York collaborates with local law enforcement entities to locate a 25-year-old Indian student who vanished from Cleveland earlier this month. Mohammad Abdul Arfath, originating from Nacharam, Hyderabad, embarked on his academic journey in the United States in May last year, enrolling in a Master’s program in Information Technology at Cleveland University.

Arfath’s last communication with his father, Mohammed Saleem, occurred on March 7. Subsequently, he severed ties with his family, and his cellular device remains inactive. In an announcement on X, the Indian Consulate confirmed its engagement with Arfath’s relatives and US authorities, emphasizing their concerted efforts to expedite his discovery.

Upon Arfath’s disappearance, his American housemates notified his father, Mohammed Saleem, who proceeded to file a missing person report with the Cleveland Police. On March 19, Arfath’s family received an alarming call from an unidentified individual alleging Arfath’s abduction by a narcotics syndicate, demanding a ransom of USD 1,200 for his release.

The caller, menacingly, asserted the prospect of organ trafficking if the stipulated sum remained unpaid, recounted his father. “Recently, an unidentified caller informed me of my son’s abduction, urging immediate monetary exchange. However, when I requested to communicate with my son, my plea was rebuffed,” Saleem disclosed to PTI in Hyderabad.

Beseeching the Indian government’s intervention for Arfath’s safe return, Saleem dispatched a plea to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. This episode mirrors a series of disconcerting events concerning the welfare of Indian students in the US, catalyzing apprehension within the diaspora.

Notably, the Consulate previously highlighted the demise of Abhijeeth Paruchuru, a 20-year-old Indian student, in Boston. Despite Paruchuru’s Connecticut-based parents liaising directly with investigators, preliminary inquiries dismissed any suspicions of foul play.

Similarly, Indian-American scholar Sameer Kamath, aged 23, met a tragic end in an Indiana nature reserve in February, succumbing to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. January witnessed the untimely demise of Akul Dhawan, an 18-year-old University of Illinois student, attributed to hypothermia exacerbated by alcohol intoxication and sub-zero temperatures.

Another January incident unfolded in Georgia, where a homeless drug addict fatally assaulted 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini.