23-Year-Old Indian Student Nitheesha Kandula Mysteriously Goes Missing In US

New Delhi: The latest in a long line of student-related incidents in the nation, a 23-year-old Indian student went missing in the US state of California last week. The authorities are asking for the public's assistance in locating the missing student. Nitheesha Kandula, a student at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), vanished on May 28, as per the police report. According to a post on X on Sunday, John Guttierez, Chief of Police at CSUSB, stated that she was last seen in Los Angeles and was reported missing on May 30.

#MissingPersonAlert: California State University, San Bernardino Police along with our partners in #LAPD, is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of @CSUSBNews Nitheesha Kandula, to contact us at: (909) 537-5165. pic.twitter.com/pZaJ35iwuq

— Chief John Guttierez (@guttierez_john) June 1, 2024

Kandhula was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing around 160 pounds (72.5 kg), with black hair and black eyes, according to police. According to the statement, she was possibly driving a 2021 Toyota Corolla with a California licence plate that was unknown in colour.

Police urged anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact authorities, saying, "Anyone with information is urged to contact the CSUSB Police Department at (909) 538-7777, or the LAPD's Southwest Division at (213) 485-2582."

Recent Incidents Of Crime Against Indians In US

Rupesh Chandra Chintakind, 26, an Indian student, was reported missing in Chicago last month. Earlier in April, a 25-year-old Indian student who had been missing since March was discovered dead in Cleveland, USA. Mohammad Abdul Arfath, originally from Nacharam, Hyderabad, moved to the United States in May of last year to pursue a Masters in Information Technology at Cleveland University.

Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India, was fatally shot in St. Louis, Missouri, in March. Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was discovered dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on February 5.

On February 2, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, was seriously injured during an assault outside a Washington restaurant.

In January, Akul Dhawan, an 18-year-old University of Illinois student, was discovered unconscious outside a campus building. Investigations revealed that he died of hypothermia, with authorities determining that acute alcohol intoxication and prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures played a significant role in his death.