Indian student attacked in Chicago, family appeals to Modi government for help

An Indian student's family has appealed to the Indian government to intervene after he was attacked on February 4 by armed men who even robbed his phone and wallet in US's Chicago.

Syed Mazahir Ali, who is currently pursuing his master's degree in Indiana Wesleyan University in Chicago, hails from Hyderabad.

"I was carrying food back home when four people cornered me, kicked and punched me, and ran away with my phone. Please help me," Ali said in a viral video.

Ali, who moved to the US from Hyderabad about six months ago, told ABC7 Eyewitness News that one of the attackers pointed a gun at him.

The ABC7 report said he was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for several cuts and bruises.

Ali is pursuing Masters in information technology from Indiana Wesleyan University, according to the information posted on X.

He said in the report that the assault is something he cannot forget.

Another video circulating online shows Ali running to save himself as the attackers follow him. The attack left him with several bruises and cuts.

"There were punches on my eye, and they were hitting me with their legs on my face, on my ribs, on my back," India Today quoted Ali as saying.

Ali's wife living in Hyderabad with three minor children has reached out to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking help to travel to the US.

Meanwhile, the Indian consulate in Chicago has said that they are in touch with his wife assuring assistance.

"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," a statement by the Indian consulate in Chicago on 'X' read.

While Ali expressed shock over the incident calling America his "dream country", Abdul Wahab Mohammed, Ali's cousin, said, "Sometimes, I feel I should discontinue my master's and go back to my home country. Thinking about it and seeing such incidents, there is no proper security over here."

The incident comes just days after 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini, who had recently earned an MBA degree in the US, was hammered to death by a homeless drug addict in Georgia state’s Lithonia city.

The horrifying incident was caught on camera when assailant Julian Faulkner, a homeless man, mercilessly struck Saini nearly 50 times on the head with a hammer.

Last week, a student at the Linder School of Business in the US state of Ohio identified as 19-year-old Shreyas Reddy Beniger was found dead. However, local authorities have ruled out foul play.

Another Indian student, identified as Neel Acharya at Purdue University, Indiana, was confirmed dead days after being reported missing on January 28.

Akul B Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia.

(With PTI inputs)