Ufa, Russia: A 22-year-old Indian medical student who had been missing in Russia’s Ufa city for nearly three weeks has been found dead in a dam, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The deceased, identified as Ajit Singh Chaudhary, hailed from Kaphanwada village in Lakshmangarh, Alwar district of Rajasthan. He had been pursuing an MBBS degree at Bashkir State Medical University, having enrolled in 2023.

Chaudhary reportedly went missing on October 19, after leaving his university hostel around 11 am, telling friends he was going out to buy milk. He never returned.

According to Nitin Sangwan, chairman of Alwar Saras Dairy, the student’s body was discovered in a dam adjoining the White River. According to local contacts, his clothes, mobile phone and shoes were discovered the following morning on the bank of the swollen White River, leading to the possibility that he may have been swept away by rising currents due to seasonal rain.

While there has been no official statement from the Indian Embassy in Russia, sources confirmed that Chaudhary’s family was informed of his death on Thursday.

Reacting to the news, former Union Minister Jitendra Singh Alwar expressed deep sorrow and raised concerns over the circumstances of Chaudhary’s death.

“Ajit, from Kaphanwada village, was sent to Russia with great hopes and the family’s hard-earned money to study medicine. The news of his body being found in the river is utterly shocking. In suspicious circumstances, we have lost a promising young boy,” Singh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

He urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to ensure a thorough investigation and to facilitate the repatriation of Chaudhary’s body to India.

“An untoward incident has occurred under suspicious circumstances; it must be investigated with complete seriousness,” he said.

The All India Medical Students’ Association (Foreign Medical Students Wing) also appealed to the External Affairs Minister to intervene. The association said Chaudhary’s friends studying at the same university had confirmed the identification of the body.

Bashkir State Medical University has yet to issue an official statement regarding the student’s death.