An Indian student from Hyderabad pursuing his Masters in the United States was on Tuesday found dead during search operations after having been reported missing for nearly three weeks, the Indian Consulate in New York said in a statement.
The corpse of Mohammed Abdul Arfath, a 25-year-old student at Cleveland State University, was found in Cleveland, Ohio, during the search operations coordinated by the Indian mission and local law-enforcement agencies, the statement said.
Expressing its condolences to Arfath's family, the Indian mission said that it was in touch with the law-enforcment to investigate his death.
Reports suggest that Arfath's father had recieved a ransom call for $1,200 in the wake of his son's disappearance last month.
In several cases, these deaths have happened under "mysterious circumstances", while there have also been fatal attacks against Indian-origin students.
Responding to rising concerns in the Indian community, the six Indian diplomatic missions last month began an outreach programme to the Indian students to "reassure them about all possible help in case they face any issue".
Around 268,000 Indian students enrolled at American universities in 2022-23, according to a report by Open Doors.
The Indian students accounted for around 25 percent of overall international student population at US universities, the report said.