The body of a 22-year-old Indian student who had been missing in Russia for nearly three weeks was discovered on Thursday in a dam near the White River in Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan.
The student, Ajit Singh Chaudhary, hailed from Kaphanwada village in Lakshmangarh, Alwar district of Rajasthan. He had travelled to Russia in 2023 to pursue an MBBS degree at Bashkir State Medical University, hoping to fulfil his family’s dream of seeing him become a doctor.
Went Missing After Stepping Out to Buy Milk
According to sources, Ajit was last seen on 19 October, when he left his hostel around 11 a.m., telling his friends he was stepping out to buy milk. He never returned. For days, friends, fellow students and family members clung to hope, circulating messages and reaching out to authorities for any trace of him.
Their worst fears were confirmed when his body was recovered from a nearby dam, said Nitin Sangwan, chairman of Alwar Saras Dairy. The discovery brought an agonising end to a search that had stretched on for 19 days.
Family Notified; Embassy Yet to Issue Statement
There has been no official statement yet from the Indian Embassy in Russia, but officials have informed Chaudhary’s family of his death, according to sources.
Former Union Minister Jitendra Singh Alwar expressed deep anguish over the tragedy, calling the circumstances surrounding Ajit’s death “suspicious”. He said that Ajit’s clothes, mobile phone and shoes were found near the riverbank shortly after his disappearance.
“Ajit, from Kaphanwada village, was sent to Russia with great hope and the collective effort of his family’s hard-earned savings,” Singh wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The news of his body being found in the river is utterly shocking. It is a heartbreaking moment for the entire Alwar community, we have lost a promising young boy under deeply troubling circumstances.”
रूस में दिवाली से लापता अलवर के लक्ष्मणगढ़ निवासी और MBBS के छात्र अजीत सिंह चौधरी का शव मिलने की ख़बर से मन व्यथित है।
कफ़नवाड़ा गाँव के अजीत को उनके परिवार ने बड़ी उम्मीदों और परिश्रम के साथ पैसे जुटाकर डॉक्टरी की पढ़ाई करने के लिए रूस भेजा था। करीब 19 दिन पहले वहाँ नदी किनारे…
— Jitendra Singh Alwar (@JitendraSAlwar) November 6, 2025
He urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene and ensure that Ajit’s body is brought back to India without delay. “This case must be investigated with complete seriousness,” he said, adding that the grieving family should not have to struggle through bureaucratic hurdles to bring their son home.
Meanwhile, the All India Medical Students’ Association (Foreign Medical Students Wing) has also taken up the matter with the External Affairs Ministry. “His friends studying at the same university have confirmed the identification of the body,” the association said in a statement.
The university has not yet issued an official comment on the student’s death.
