Indian student, who went missing last month, found dead in London river, relatives launch fundraiser
London, Dec 1: A 23-Indian student who went missing in the UK last month has been found dead in the river Thames here.
Mitkumar Patel arrived in the UK for higher studies in September and was reported missing on November 17.
The Metropolitan Police discovered his body in the river Thames near the Canary Wharf area of east London on November 21 and was declared dead by paramedics.
"The death is not believed to be suspicious," the Met Police said.
Parth Patel, a relative, has since launched a Go Fund Me online fundraiser and raised over GBP 4,500 since last week.
"Mitkumar Patel was a 23-year (old) boy who came to the UK for higher studies on 19th September 2023," reads the fundraising appeal.
"He belonged to a farmer family and used to live in a village as well. He was missing from November 17, 2023. Now on November 21 police found his dead body from Canary Wharf in the water. It was sad for all of us. So, we decided to do fund raising for helping out his family and to send his body to India as well," it adds.
The appeal reiterates that the funds will be safely transmitted to Mitkumar's family in India.
According to the Evening Standard' newspaper, the student was due to move to Sheffield on November 20 to start a degree at Sheffield Hallam University and a part-time job at Amazon.
After he failed to return from a daily walk to the home where he was staying in London, his relatives grew worried and reported him missing. They later found that he had left his set of keys behind.
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Telangana teen dies by suicide after losing Rs 1 lakh in online betting
Hyderabad: An 18-year-old youth from Telangana’s Sangareddy district died by suicide after allegedly losing Rs 1 lakh on an online betting application, police said.
According to report published by NDTV on Friday, the deceased, identified as Vikram, was a resident of the Kandukur area. According to police, he consumed insecticide after suffering heavy financial losses through online betting. Vikram's family saw him taking the extreme step and rushed him to a hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment. The police have registered a case.
This is not an isolated case. Just a few weeks ago, a taxi driver in Hyderabad died by suicide after accumulating massive debts due to online betting apps.
The victim, Paladugu Sai (24) from Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, had reportedly been addicted to betting for nearly two years. He borrowed money from friends, relatives and banks, and was facing debts of around Rs 15 lakh at the time of his death. He too consumed pesticide and died during treatment.
Meanwhile, another similar case was reported from Madhya Pradesh recently. A 32-year-old civil contractor allegedly died by suicide in his house in Bhopal last week after losing nearly Rs 30 lakh in an online game. Police recovered a note from his house stating that he had taken loans to play an online game called Aviator. A case has been registered in that matter as well.
Police and experts have repeatedly warned about the rising menace of online betting and gaming platforms, urging people especially youth to stay away from such activities and seek help in case of addiction or financial distress.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
