Telangana student goes missing in Chicago

“Deeply concerned” Indian mission in touch with police and Indian diaspora to locate Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi

In yet another case of an Indian student disappearing in the US, 26-year-old Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi from Telangana has been missing since he left his residence in Chicago on May.2,

Chintakindi, who was pursuing a Master’s in Business Analytics at Concordia University, Wisconsin, had enrolled in the program earlier this year.

A “deeply concerned” Indian consulate stated it’s in touch with the police and the Indian diaspora hoping to locate Rupesh.

“The Consulate is deeply concerned learning that Indian student Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi is incommunicado since 2nd May,” the mission posted on X. “Consulate is in touch with the police and the Indian diaspora hoping to locate/reestablish contact with Rupesh.”

Media reports from India cited his father Sadanandam as saying, the last communication he had with Rupesh was via WhatsApp on the afternoon of May 2.

READ: Amid scare, missing Indian American student found in Texas (April 10, 2024)

“He had said he was busy with some work. Later, I could not contact him and he has since been offline,” the father was quoted as saying. The family mentioned that they had contacted Rupesh’s roommates, who remembered him leaving to meet someone who had arrived from Texas, but said, ”We actually don’t know who they (the person Rupesh went to meet) are.”

Seeking assistance, the family reached out to the Indian central minister and Telangana MP G. Kishan Reddy, who subsequently wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs, requesting the Indian Consulate in Chicago to aid in locating Rupesh. While the family has filed a missing complaint in Chicago, as per the father, “the police over there aren’t responding properly”.

The news of Rupesh going missing comes amid multiple cases of Indian students going missing and later found dead in mysterious circumstances. At least 10 such deaths of Indian or Indian American students since the beginning of this year have sparked concerns and raised alarms within the community.

READ: Indian student missing for three weeks found dead (April 9, 2024)

From suspected homicides to tragic accidents, each case highlights the vulnerabilities faced by students, both international and domestic, pursuing education on US campuses.