A student of Indian origin was assaulted and robbed of his phone in Chicago, United States. The victim student, Syed Mazahir Ali, hails from Hyderabad. He was attacked by four armed robbers near his house in Chicago. A video of the incident has surfaced on social media, in which the student can be seen bleeding profusely. In the video, the student said that he was kicked and punched by the robbers and that his phone was snatched. "There were four people; four people were beating me, I was going to get food, my home is here only," Ali was heard saying in the video.
The members of Ali's family in Hyderabad are deeply concerned about his well-being following the incident. His wife has written a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar requesting to make arrangements for her travel to the US.
"This is to state that my husband, Syed Mazahir Ali resident of Lunger house, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad, Telangana perusing Masters in Information & Technology from Indiana Weslay University has been attacked very badly and robbed at Campbell Ave, Chicago while he was near his apartment and has been taken to a hospital," the letter stated.
The Indian consulate in Chicago on Tuesday responded to the incident, saying that the consulate is in touch with Syed Mazahir Ali and his wife in India, Syeda Ruquiya Fatima Razvi, and assured all possible assistance.
In a post on X, a statement by the Indian consulate in Chicago read, "Consulate is in touch with Syed Mazahir Ali and his wife in India Syeda Ruquiya Fatima Razvi and assured all possible assistance. Consulate has also contacted the local authorities who are investigating the case."
The incident has raised concern as it comes in the wake of four Indian-origin students being found dead in the United States this year.