Missing Rajasthan medical student found dead in Russia; family seeks repatriation, transparent probe
Alwar: A 22-year-old medical student identified as Ajit Singh Chaudhary from Rajasthan’s Alwar district, who had been missing in Russia since the last three weeks, was found dead near a dam in Ufa city on Thursday. According to his family he was pursuing an MBBS degree at Bashkir State Medical University since last year.
On October 19, Ajit went missing after he left his hostel around 11 a.m. to buy milk and told his friends he would return shortly. He did not come back. In the days that followed, authorities recovered his clothes, phone, and shoes near the White River. After 19 days of search operations, his body was located near a dam on the same river.
The Indian Embassy in Moscow informed the family and district representatives in Alwar about the discovery. Fellow students were called in to identify the body. Officials informed that the post-mortem would be conducted by a medical board in Russia. The remains would be sent to India thereafter. The repatriation process is expected to take two to three days with the help of the Indian Embassy and Russian authorities.
Relatives said Ajit's family had sold nearly three bighas of land to finance his medical education abroad. “We sent him with so many hopes. Now we are only waiting for him to return,” a family member said.
Residents, student groups, and community members gathered at the Alwar Jat Hostel and expressed their distress over the delayed response to Ajit’s disappearance by authorities. They appealed for a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death.
According to a report by The Tribune, Congress leader Jitendra Singh Alwar expressed condolences and called the incident “suspicious,” urging External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to ensure the repatriation is completed quickly and the family receives support. “This matter must be investigated seriously. The family should not be made to go from office to office,” he said on X.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
