The FBI posted about Mayushi Bhagat, a missing Indian student in the U.S., on X. This sparked confusion, as the student was missing since 2019, and there had been no updates.
“The #FBI offers a reward of up to $10,000 for info leading to the location or recovery of Mayushi Bhagat, and the identification, arrest, and conviction of those responsible. She was last seen in the evening hours of April 29, 2019, leaving her Jersey City, NJ apartment,” the agency wrote.
A missing person’s notice released by the FBI says that Mayushi Vikas Bhagat, born in India, was last seen in the evening hours of April 29, 2019. She was last seen leaving her apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey. The FBI said: “She was last seen wearing colorful pajama pants and a black t-shirt. Bhagat was reported missing by her family on May 1, 2019. She was attending the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) in New York City, and was in the United States on an F1 Student Visa.”
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The agency added “Bhagat speaks English, Hindi, and Urdu. She has friends in the South Plainfield, New Jersey, area.”
This post was met with surprise with many questioning why the FBI posted about Bhagat seven years after she went missing. One social media user wrote, “It’s been 7 years since she is missing and y’all posted it 1hr ago?????????? Y’all don’t even wanna find her.” Another added, “Remembering a lost person after 7 years. Is it actually a joke? I hope she is alive.”
According to Hudpost, Bhagat was born on 12 July 1994 in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, and moved to the United States in 2016 to further her education, travelling on an F-1 student visa. She first enrolled at the University of New Hampshire before transferring to the New York Institute of Technology in New York City. At the time of her disappearance, she was living with her parents at 35 Vroom Street in Jersey City, New Jersey, and had friends in South Plainfield.
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Bhaghat’s father has said he received a WhatsApp message from her at around 12:30 a.m. on 1 May, in which the sender said she was fine and would not be returning until May 3. However, he told reporters he did not believe she had written the message, saying the language used did not sound like her.
The FBI’s Newark Division formally added her to its missing persons webpage in July 2022. The FBI’s Newark Office, the Jersey City Police Department and the New Jersey State Police are jointly handling the investigation.