Indiana: Neel Acharya, an Indian student in the United States studying at Indiana's Purdue University, was found dead on Sunday after he was reported missing, according to authorities. Officials were called around 11:30 am. Sunday to 500 Allison Road in West Lafayette for a possible dead body. Upon arrival, a "college-aged male" was found deceased on Purdue's campus, said Tippecanoe County Coroner's office.
On Sunday, Goury Acharya, Neel's mother, posted on X about her son missing. "Our son Neel Acharya is missing since yesterday Jan 28( 12:30 AM EST) He is studying in Purdue University in the US. He was last seen by the Uber driver who dropped him off in Purdue university. We are looking for any info on him. Please help us if you know anything," she said.
https://twitter.com/IndiainChicago/status/1752052449374810146
The Consulate General of India in Chicago replied to her post on X, saying, "Consulate is in touch with Purdue University authorities and also with Neel's family. Consulate will extend all possible support and help". According to Purdue Exponent, a multimedia agency independent of the university, interim computer science department head Chris Clifton confirmed students and faculty of Neel Acharya's death.
"It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our students, Neel Acharya, has passed away. My condolences go out to his friends, family, and all affected," Clifton wrote, describing Neel as a "driven individual and academically talented". Neel was a double major in computer science and data science at the John Martinson Honors College of Purdue University, as per reports.
On Sunday morning, a "college-aged" man was found dead near the Maurice J Zucrow Laboratories about 10:30 am. "A deceased person was found that matched Neel's description and had Neel's ID on (him)," he said.
This came after another Indian student, named Vivek Saini, was brutally murdered with a hammer by a homeless drug addict inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia. The 25-year-old student, an Indian student who recently earned an MBA degree in the United States, was struck 50 times in the head with a hammer by the assailant Julian Faulkner, whom Saini had been helping for the past couple of days.
Saini, a part-time clerk at a store that sheltered Faulkner, had shown kindness to the accused for almost two days and provided him with chips, a coke, water, and even a jacket for warmth, M9 News Channel reported on Sunday. Saini was concerned for his safety and requested Faulkner to depart or face police intervention. Police, arriving at the scene, found Faulkner standing over Saini's lifeless body.
(with inputs from agencies)
