Indian Mission Contacts Hyderabad Woman Found Starving in Chicago, Offers to Fly Home

The Indian mission in the United States has extended an offer to repatriate the young woman from Hyderabad, who was found starving on the streets of Chicago.

After a distressing video of Syeda Lulu Minhaj Zaidi surfaced on Twitter last month, the story drew widespread concern for Lulu’s well-being and urgency in addressing the challenges of bringing her back to India.

Subsequently, her parents appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs to help her return. In response, the Indian Consulate General in Chicago contacted Lulu, offering assistance for her travel back to India. However, she is yet to respond to the offer.

“Happy that we could contact Ms. Syeda Zaidi & offered help, including medical assistance & travel to India. She is fit & spoken to her mother in India. She is yet to respond on our offer of support to return to India. We stand ready to extend to her all assistance,” Indian Mission in Chicago wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Lulu had been studying master’s degree at TRINE University in Detroit, but her parents lost contact with her for two months before the video came to light. The video was posted on Twitter by Amjed Ullah Khan, spokesperson for the Majlis Bachao Tahreek (MBT).

According to Lulu’s mother, Syeda Wahaj Fatima, her daughter was “under deep depression” and had faced the shock of losing her bag, containing all her certificates, clothes, purse, and phone, while traveling.

Lulu’s parents, both facing health issues, are struggling to arrange her return to India. While the woman receives medical care in a Chicago hospital, her parents are planning to travel to the US. Amjed has reached out to Telangana IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao, requesting expedited passport processing for them.

The case has garnered attention, with various organisations offering assistance to Lulu and her family. The main challenge now is facilitating Lulu’s return, considering her medical condition and her parents’ health and financial constraints.

As per reports, the Ministry of External Affairs is closely monitoring the situation and liaising with the Indian consulate in Chicago to ensure Lulu receives the necessary medical support and assistance for her safe return to India.