Another Indian-origin student found dead at US University, 5th case in this year

New York: A 23-year-old who was pursuing a doctoral degree at Purdue University has been found dead, taking the number of Indian students killed in the US to five since the start of this year.

The deceased identified as Sameer Kamath, his body was found at about 5 pm on Monday at Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve in Williamsport, Warren County Coroner Justin Brummett said in a news release published Tuesday afternoon.

Kamath, a US citizen according to the coroner’s office, was a doctorate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Purdue University, Indiana-based Journal & Courier reported, citing the Coroner’s Office.

He graduated from the department in August 2023 with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

The release from the Coroner’s Office said a forensic autopsy is scheduled to be performed in Crawfordsville and the family has been notified about the death.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office further stated there is no threat to the public and that the incident is being investigated by them.

With Kamath’s death, five Indian students have died in quick succession in the US since the start of this year, including Shreyas Reddy Benigeri in Cincinnati and Purdue University’s Neel Acharya in Indiana.

A total of 403 deaths of Indian students abroad have been reported since 2018 due to various reasons including natural causes, accidents and medical conditions, the government informed Lok Sabha recently.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the welfare of Indian students abroad is one of the foremost priorities for the government.

A country-wise breakup showed 91 Indian students died in Canada, 48 in the UK, 40 in Russia, 36 in the US, 35 in Australia, 21 in Ukraine, and 20 in Germany.