Family of NRI student ‘missing’ in U.S. reaches out to MEA

Mohammed Abdul Arfath, a 25yearold man pursuing his master’s degree at Cleveland University in the U.S., has been incommunicado since March 7, according to his family members. They consider him as missing and have written to Minister for External Affair S. Jaishankar, seeking his intervention to locate Mr. Arfath.

Mr. Arfath’s issue was brought to light by Majlis Bachao Tahreek spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan, who posted copies of Mr. Arfath’s passport and the letter which his family wrote to Mr. Jaishankar.

Mohammed Abdul Arfath went to the U.S. in May 2023 to pursue a master’s degree in IT

According to Mr. Arfath’s father Mohammed Saleem, Mr. Arfath used to reside in Ambedkar Nagar in Nacharam. It was in May 2023 that he left for the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in information technology at Cleveland University. He was living in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr. Saleem, who said he worked at construction sites, said the last time he spoke to Mr. Arfath was on March 7. The last known location of his son, as shown by CCTV footage from on March 8, was a Walmart store. There has been no information about his location since.

“He [Mr. Arfath] is my only son. He said he was missing us and his friends and wanted to come home. I told him that he could do so during his vacations, and if needed, I would send him the airfare. The last time I spoke to him was on March 7, but that was only for a few seconds. He called his friend the next day and spoke to him. I am told that a detective [a police officer] is handling the case,” Mr. Saleem said, adding that he has not received a response from the Indian Missions in the U.S.