Mising Nepalese student found dead in Washington

The body of Arvin Sharma, a 22-year-old University of Maryland student, who was reportedly missing since April 16, was found floating in the Anacostia River near the 11th Street Bridge in Washington, DC on April 25.

The police department's Harbor Unit was informed and the unit rushed to the scene and pulled the body from the water.

Sharma was clothed in the same dress he was wearing when he went missing from the Lime nightclub. The body appeared to have been in the water for about a week, the police said.

Though there was no obvious sign of foul play, the police are waiting for an autopsy result.

He was last seen in the early hours of April 16 at the nightclub.

Sharma was staying outside the campus in a condominium, his father Dr. Niranjan Prasad Sharma, who immigrated to the US in 1975 from Nepal, said.

His older brother, Ashis, who is an employee in accompany and younger brother Amod, a student at anther university met him at the condo around noon and the three had lunch together.

Arvin did not go with the brothers to their home 30 miles away in Waldorf, Maryland.

Later, Sharma went to the nightclub, which is mostly patronised by the students, along with five colleagues.

"All of them were classmates from school days. They are all good kids," Dr Sharma said. The friends were from White, African American and Caribbean communities.

"There was no fight or anything at the club," Spencer Holmes, a friend said.

At around 2 am, Arvin was found missing. Others searched for him in around the club and called him repeatedly on his cell phone. They continued to search till 4 am and later called the police, Dr. Sharma said.

Arvin was very good at studies, his father said. There were no problems earlier.

The family suspect foul play because it was unlike him to just disappear. His cell phone had not been used, and his bank records showed no activity after the disappearance.