“The caller also threatened to sell Alfas’ kidney if the ransom was not paid.”
New York:
The Consulate General of India in New York is working with local law enforcement to locate a 25-year-old Indian student in Cleveland who has been missing since earlier this month.
Mohammad Abdul Arfath, who hails from Nacharam, Hyderabad, arrived in the United States in May last year to pursue a master’s degree in IT from the University of Cleveland.
His father, Mohammed Salim, said Arafat last spoke to him on March 7. Since then, he has had no contact with his family and his mobile phone has been turned off.
The Indian consulate said in a post on X that it was in contact with Alfas’ family and U.S. authorities. “We are working with local law enforcement agencies to find him as soon as possible.” Afaas’ roommates in the United States informed his father that they had filed a missing persons complaint with Cleveland police.
@IndiaNewYork Stay in touch with Mr. Mohammad Abdul Arfath’s family and authorities in the United States.
We are working with local law enforcement agencies to find him as quickly as possible. @DrSJaishankar@MEAIndia@IndiaEmbassyUShttps://t.co/zbEzJSRFNN
— India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) March 20, 2024
On March 19, Alfat’s family received a call from an unidentified person, saying that Alfat was allegedly kidnapped by a drug gang and demanding $1,200 to release him.
Alfas’ father said the caller also threatened to sell his kidney if the ransom was not paid.
“Yesterday, I received a call from an unknown number. The other party told me that my son had been kidnapped and asked for money. The other party did not mention the payment method, but only asked for the amount. When I asked the other party, let’s and Talk to my son but he refused,” Salim told PTI in Hyderabad.
Alfas’ parents have requested the central government to take necessary steps to bring their son back safely. Salim also wrote to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in this regard.
The incident is the latest in a series of troubling cases related to the safety of Indian students in the United States. Since the beginning of this year, many deaths of Indians and Indian students have aroused vigilance and concern from all walks of life.
Earlier this week, the consulate posted on X about the death of 20-year-old Indian student Abhijeeth Paruchuru in Boston. Paruchulu’s parents, who live in Connecticut, have been in direct contact with detectives and a preliminary investigation into his death ruled out any possibility of foul play.
Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in an Indiana nature preserve in February. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to authorities.
In January, 18-year-old University of Illinois student Akul Dhawan was found unresponsive outside a campus building. An investigation revealed he died of hypothermia. Authorities said acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures contributed to his death.
In another incident in January, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was beaten to death by a homeless drug addict in Georgia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
