Indian student found dead in Boston forest

Paruchuri Abhijit, a 23-year-old engineering student at Boston University, was found dead in his car in a nearby forest apparently killed by thugs to rob him of his money and laptop.

Abhijit who hails from Burripalem in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, joined Boston University last year. He was found dead on March 11, according to Indian media reports.

Abhijit lived in a rented house with some classmates. When Abhijit did not return from college, worried friends informed police and lodged a missing complaint.

READ: At least 10 Indian or Indian American students died in US under mysterious circumstances since Jan. 2023 (March 18, 2024)

The police found his body in a car in the nearby forest based on his cell phone signals. However, the police are yet to identify his assailants.

Suspicions have also arisen regarding the circumstances of the murder, hinting at potential altercations with fellow students at the university, according to reports.

Abhijit was the only son of Paruchuri Chakradhar and Srilakshmi. Although Abhijit’s mother initially refused her son’s wish to go abroad for higher studies, she agreed keeping his future in mind, Times of India reported citing his family members

After completing all the formalities in the US, the body arrived in Burripalem in Guntur district on Friday.

READ: Tragic deaths of Indian-origin students in the US raise alarms over safety (February 15, 2024)

This is the tenth such incident where Indian and Indian American students have died in the US under suspicious circumstances since January 2023. Among the nine, two died of suicide, two died of an overdose, two died after going missing, one died in a road accident and two were murdered, according to police.

Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana in early February. Prior to that, Syed Mazahir Ali, another Indian student, was assaulted by robbers in Chicago.

Vivek Saini, a 25-year-old Indian student, faced a fatal attack by a homeless drug addict in Georgia State’s Lithonia city. Four other Indian students — Shreyas Reddy Beniger, Neel Acharya, and Akul B Dhawan — also died under suspicious circumstances, raising alarming questions about the safety and security of Indian students in the United States.

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated.)

READ MORE:

Another Indian student from Purdue University found dead (February 7, 2024)

Bodies of two Indian students recovered from Indiana lake (April 24, 2023)

Indian student killed by homeless man in Georgia (January 29, 2024)

Neel Acharya, missing Indian student, found dead (January 30, 2024)

Akul Dhawan’s family accuses Illinois University police of negligence (January 26, 2024)