Hyderabad student goes 'missing' in US, family receives 1,200 US dollar 'ransom' call

HYDERABAD: A 25-year-old student from Hyderabad, studying in the US, has gone missing there since March 7 and his family here said they received a "ransom" call. Mohammed Abdul, a resident of Nacharam here, went to the US in May 2023 to pursue a Masters in IT from Cleveland University, and was staying in Cleveland, his family said.

Mohammed Saleem, Abdul's father, said his son last spoke to him on March 7, and since then he was not in touch with his family and his mobile phone was switched off. Abdul's roommates in the US informed him that they have lodged a missing complaint with Cleveland Police.

However, on March 19, Abdul's family received a call from an unidentified person, who claimed that Abdul had been kidnapped allegedly by a gang selling drugs and demanded USD 1,200 to "release" him. The caller also threatened to sell Abdul's kidneys if the ransom wasn't paid, his father said.

Also read Yet another Indian student dies in US, initial probe rules out foul play

"Yesterday, I got a call from an unknown number, and the caller informed me that my son has been kidnapped and demanded money. The caller did not mention the mode of payment but just asked to pay the amount. When I asked the caller to allow us to talk to my son, he refused," a worried Saleem told PTI.

Abdul's parents requested the Central government to take necessary measures to locate and bring back their son safely. Saleem also wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in this regard.