Missing Indian student Nitheesha Kandula found safe in California

A 23-year-old Indian student from Hyderabad who had been missing in the US since May 28, 2024, has been found safe, according to the police. California State University, San Bernardino Police Chief John Guttierez confirmed the news on X, formerly known as Twitter. He confirmed that Nitheesha Kandula had been located.

"The missing student identified in this bulletin who was reported missing on May 28, 2024, in Los Angeles, has been located and is safe!" Guttierez posted on X.

Kandula had last been seen in Los Angeles before disappearing on May 28. The police had sought public assistance to locate the 23-year-old student. It filed her missing report on May 30.

The police described Kandula as being 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing nearly 160 pounds (72.5 kg). She has black hair and black eyes, the authorities said.

Prior to finding her out, the police said that she was believed to be driving a 2021 Toyota Corolla with an unspecified California license plate. However, the police did not provide details on where or how she was found.

Troubling trend

This case is part of a troubling trend involving Indian-origin students in the US. Earlier this year, several similar incidents have been reported.

In May, 26-year-old Rupesh Chandra Chintakind went missing in Chicago. In April, Mohammad Abdul Arfath, 25, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio, after going missing in March. He was an IT student at Cleveland University.

Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained Kuchipudi dancer, was shot dead in March during an evening walk in Missouri. Before that, in February, 23-year-old Indian-American student Sameer Kamath died by suicide at Purdue University in Indiana.

In another such tragedy, a 41-year-old Indian-American IT executive Vivek Taneja died after an assault outside a Japanese restaurant in Washington. In January this year, a 18-year-old Indian-American student Akul Dhawan died of hypothermia following acute alcohol intoxication near a university campus in Illinois.

(With inputs from agencies)