BREAKING: Missing CSU student Mohammed Abdul Arfath found dead at 25 – The Cauldron
25-year old Indian Mohammed Abdul Arfath, a former Cleveland State University student who went missing in March, was found dead in Cleveland on Monday night.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner, according to CSU, confirmed the death on Wednesday morning.
“Cleveland State University is saddened to hear of the death of former student Abdul Arfath Mohammed,” shared the University in a statement to The Cauldron Wednesday afternoon. “The CSU Police Department is providing information as needed to assist the Cleveland Division of Police with their investigation. Cleveland State’s thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time, and CSU PD will continue to serve as a resource to Cleveland police as needed.”
First reported by the Indian Express, The Indian Consulate in New York had worked to find the missing student after his family in Hyderabad lost contact with him on March 7, which the family described as abnormal, since Arfath dialed his family “regularly.”
On March 17, Arfath’s father in India received a phone call from an unidentified person in the United States who claimed that a gang selling drugs kidnapped the student and demanded a $1,200 ransom for his release. The caller threatened to sell Arfath’s kidneys if they didn’t receive the ransom.
The family immediately contacted relatives residing in the U.S., who then filed a police report and pushed the investigation. The family even appealed to the Indian Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, to speak to U.S. officials in the hopes of locating him.
“Anguished to learn that Mr. Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio,”the Indian Consulate in New York shared the Consulate on X/Twitter on Monday night. “Our deepest condolences to Mr Mohammed Arfath’s family.”
The Consulate added that the process is underway to transfer his body to India, as urged by the family.
Arfath, who traveled abroad in May 2023 to pursue a master’s in information technologies at CSU, went missing in the days leading up to Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, and was found deceased just before the holiday of Eid Al Fitr, celebrated this year on April 10. Records show that he was not enrolled for the spring 2024 academic semester, though.
“We had been fasting and praying for his safe return…we still had hope he would be traced and rescued. Today, we received the shattering news,” a family member said.
Alysha Syed, vice president of the CSU Student Government Association, had recently begun collaboration with Captain Beverly Pettrey, the University’s chief of police, to assist in Arfath’s case.
During the investigation, CSU gave comment to WKYC on April 4:
“The Cleveland State University Police Department is providing information as needed to assist the Cleveland Division of Police with their active investigation of the disappearance of Abdul Arfath Mohammed. University records show Mohammed was no longer a registered Cleveland State student as of January 2024, nor did he live on campus while attending Cleveland State.”
A string of incidents
As outlined by the Indian Express, Arfath’s death follows a pattern of several nationwide incidents involving Indian or Indian-origin students in the U.S. in the first half of 2024, with international students across the country growing increasingly concerned for their safety.
Many of these incidents took place in Ohio. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, who attended college in Cleveland, died in “mysterious circumstances,” as reported by the Consulate on April 5. Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, who attended graduate school in Cincinnati, was also found dead in Ohio in February, though no foul play was detected.
However, the incidents span multiple states. Abhijeeth Paruchuru, an Indian student at Boston University, was also found dead in March. While his family claimed it was murder, law enforcement ruled out anything suspicious.
Sameer Kamath, a doctorate student at Purdue University, was found dead in an Indiana nature preserve in February. The death was eventually ruled a suicide. A month earlier in Georgia, Vivek Saini, graduate student and part-time convenience store clerk, was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict, whom he often sheltered.
Students in need can refer to campus resources including the Counseling Center, CARE and the Division of Student Belonging and Success.
This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as they become available.