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The parents of an Indian student studying in the US have received a ransom call demanding nearly a lakh rupees after their son went missing. The unidentified caller informed them their son had been kidnapped and threatened to sell his kidney.

Abdul Mohammed, a 25-year-old from Hyderabad, left home last May to pursue a master’s degree in Information Technology at Cleveland University, Ohio.

His family claims he has not spoken to them since March 7.

Mohammed Saleem, Abdul’s father, received a call last week from an unknown number, informing him that his son has been kidnapped by drug sellers in Cleveland.

The unidentified caller then demanded $1200 to release him but did not specify the mode of payment. He also threatened to sell a kidney of the student to the mafia if they refused to pay, his family said.

His parents then informed his relatives in the US, who filed a missing complaint with the Cleveland police. Mr Mohammed was wearing a white T-shirt, red jacket, and blue jeans, said the cops in their watch order.

In an effort to locate him, the family has also written to the Indian Council in Chicago.

The kidnapping was reported a week after another Indian student was found dead in the US, the ninth such incident in less than three months. The body of Abhijeeth Paruchuru, 20, an engineering student in Boston, was found in a car in a forest. But initial probe ruled out anything suspicious, the Consulate General of India in New York had said.

The mother of Sajid, accused of killing two boys in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, has said she feels for the victims’ family and that her son got what he deserved. Sajid, police have said, was shot dead in an encounter after he fired at cops during an escape attempt. His brother Javed, a co-accused, is on the run.

His mother Najin said she has no clue on what could have led her sons to commit the brutal crime. “I don’t know what was going on in their heads. They had their breakfast and left home around 7 am. I don’t know what happened. There was no tension at home,” she said.

She said the brothers had been running their barber shop in the victims’ neighbourhood for a long time now. “They had no enmity with anyone. If we bought anything from the locality, they would deliver it to our home,” she said.

Ms Najin said she feels for the victims’ family and that her son Sajid had suffered the consequences of his actions. “If they did not do this, they would not face this. What happened to him is only fair. If you commit a crime, you will suffer,” she said.

The elderly woman also revealed that Sajid’s wife is not pregnant. “They had two children, but they died.” Najin said she did not know where Jawed was.

Sangita, the mother of the victims, Ayush and Ahaan, has said Sajid had said his wife was due for delivery and asked for a loan of Rs 5,000. Sangita has said she gave him the money and then made tea for him. Sajid, she has said, took her sons to the terrace and slit their throats. The boys’ brother, Piyush, was also attacked, but managed to escape in time.

Sajid and Javed, the family has said, fled the spot after the incident. Later, Sajid was killed in a police encounter. Local residents, furious after the incident, set fire to the barber shop.

The boys’ father Vinod has denied reports that there was a dispute between him and Sajid.

Police have registered a case and are now looking for Javed. They are also questioning Sajid’s father.