Hyderabad student ambushed, held at gunpoint in Chicago; safety fears for Indian students in US on rise

In an incident that is likely to worry parents of children studying overseas, an Indian student pursuing Masters at Indiana Wesleyan University in Chicago was beaten and robbed at gunpoint near his house on February 6. The victim, identified as Syed Mazahir Ali is from Hyderabad in India, was attacked just a few steps yards away from his house at Campbell Ave, Chicago.

The CCTV footage, which went viral after the incident, shows three armed robbers following Ali and later ambushing him. A badly beaten-up Ali, bleeding and visibly shaken, later shares details of the incident in a video.

"Some four people got together and beat me up. I had a packet of food in my hand. I was going to enter my house, it's nearby. They took my phone away, please help me, please help me," he says to the camera later, when probably filmed by a passerby.

Syed Mazahir Ali is a resident of Hashim Nagar in Langer Houz, and the attack on him comes against the backdrop of rising crimes and attacks on students of Indian-origin in the United States.

The footage also shows that Ali became suspicious enough of the intentions of the three stalkers and even tried running away from them to manage fleeing across the street, but was later chased and overpowered. The Masters student also reveals that when he slipped near his house, he was kicked, punched, and bashed by the men.

Crimes and Indian-origin students in the US

Last week itself, another similar incident was brought to light when Indian student Shreyas Reddy Benigar was found dead in Ohio. A student of the Lindner School of Business, Cincinnati, Benigar was pursuing a graduate degree in Business Statistics. Though a police investigation is underway, they have said no foul play is suspected.

In January of this year, yet another Indian student Neel Acharya was confirmed dead a few days after being reported as missing. Acharya, who was pursuing Computer Science and Data Science at the prestigious Purdue University in the state of Indiana in the US, went missing after being last seen by an Uber driver who dropped him off at Purdue University.

Yet another unfortunate incident, 25-year-old Vivek Saini from Haryana was blown to death by a homeless man in Georgia on January 16. The chilling video of the incident shows Saini, who was working part time at a convenience store, being hammered around 50 times on the head, before dying on the spot. Last year, in November, Indian student Varun Raj Pucha was attacked at a fitness center in Indiana and later succumbed to injuries. The victim, a student in the US, was attacked with a knife by 24-year-old Jordan Andrade, at the public gym as he considered Pucha a "threat."

Migrating to the US for a coveted degree or into a prestigious university does not always translate to dreams coming true. A major part of preparing students for a life in the US should mean first giving them the right orientation. A course in self-defense, being aware of the surroundings and conscious of safety at all times should be part of the paperwork as should other requisites for a visa.