Indian student in US, Neel Acharya, found dead day after mother sought information on him

Neel Acharya, an Indian student studying at Purdue University in Indiana state of the United States, who was reported missing since Sunday has been confirmed dead. As per the office of Tippecanoe County Coroner, officials were called to identify a body on Sunday to the 500 Allison Road in West Lafayette for a possible dead body. Upon arrival, they found a “college-aged male” deceased on Purdue’s campus. The deceased student was identified as Neel Acharya, a double major in computer science and data science at the John Martinson Honors College of Purdue University. He was reported missing on social media on Sunday. In an email addressed to the university’s computer science department on Monday, interim CS head Chris Clifton told students and faculty of Neel’s death, The Exponent reported. “It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our students, Neel Acharya, has passed away,” Clifton was quoted as saying by The Exponent. “My condolences go out to his friends, family, and all affected,” it added. Clifton further said he received an email from the Office of the Dean of Students confirming Acharya’s death. “A deceased person was found that matched Neel’s description and had Neel’s ID on (him),” he said. Earlier on Monday, Gourya Acharya, mother of Neel, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that her son was missing since 28 January, 2024. “He was last seen by the Uber driver who dropped him off in Purdue University.” In her post, she also said the family is looking for any information on Neel.

In another post she said, “We need more details from the Uber driver that dropped him to get more information on him.”

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Responding to Gourya Acharya’s post, India’s Consulate General in Chicago said, “(The) Consulate is in touch with Purdue University authorities and also with Neel’s family. Consulate will extend all possible support and help”.

Consulate is in touch with Purdue University authorities and also with Neel’s family. Consulate will extend all possible support and help. @IndianEmbassyUS @MEAIndia @SandhuTaranjitS

— India in Chicago (@IndiainChicago) January 29, 2024

His roommate and friend Aryan Khanolkar, said Neel was a “loving, charismatic soul, and will be cherished by all of us”.

Neel Acharya, the missing Purdue student, has been confirmed dead, according to an email from the interim head of the Department of Computer Science. A friend said, "He was a loving, caring, charismatic soul."https://t.co/3AO7QE3M0P

— Purdue Exponent (@purdueexponent) January 29, 2024

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Neel Acharya’s death follows the news of a brutal murder of another Indian student Vivek Saini, who was killed with repeated blows from a hammer by a homeless man, Julian Faulkner, inside a convenience store in Lithonia, Georgia, US, where he worked a part-time job. Last week, another Indian student, 18-year-old Akul Dhawan, was found dead outside the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He took admission in the University of Illinois’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to study robotics. With inputs from agencies