Indian-origin Purdue University student Sameer Kamath found dead in woods, fourth case in US this year

A 23-year-old Indian-origin doctoral student at Indiana’s Purdue University was found dead in the woods at a nature preserve on Monday, marking the second death of an Indian student at the university and the fourth such case in the United States this year.

Sameer Kamath’s body was discovered around 5 PM at Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve, according to Warren County Coroner Justin Brummett. Kamath, who had completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue in August 2023, was pursuing further studies in the same department. The coroner’s office said that Kamath held US citizenship.

The circumstances surrounding Kamath’s death are under investigation by the Warren County Coroner’s Office and the sheriff’s office. An autopsy was scheduled to take place on Tuesday afternoon (local time) in Crawfordsville.

This tragic event follows the death of Neel Acharya, another Indian student at Purdue, who was found deceased on campus after being reported missing last month. Acharya was a double major in computer science and data science and a member of the John Martinson Honors College.

In a separate incident earlier this year, Vivek Saini, a 25-year-old Indian man studying for his master’s degree in Georgia, was fatally attacked by a homeless person inside the store where he worked. The assault, in which the man hit Saini 50 times with a hammer, was captured on video.

Last week, Shreyas Reddy, another student from India, was found dead in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Indian mission in New York acknowledged Reddy’s death, noting that there is no suspicion of foul play at this stage.