Cleveland University Student Missing, Parents Get Ransom Call

CLEVELAND, OH (IANS)- A student from Hyderabad has gone missing in Cleveland while his family in India has received a ransom call.

Mohammed Abdul Arfath, 25, who was pursuing a master’s degree in information technology at Cleveland University has not been in touch with the family since March 7. He came to the US in May 2023.

His parents residing in Malkajgiri district near Hyderabad have received a call demanding a ransom of $12,000. The unidentified caller informed them their son had been kidnapped and threatened to sell his kidney. The caller demanded the ransom but did not mention the mode of payment.

Saleem, the father, informed his relatives in the US, who filed a missing complaint with the Cleveland police, which issued a watch order. According to the order, Arfath was wearing a white T-shirt, a red jacket, and blue jeans.

The family also wrote to the Indian Consulate in Chicago on March 18 to help trace Abdul.