A recent social media post by the FBI regarding Mayushi Bhagat, an Indian student who disappeared in the United States in 2019, has caused widespread confusion. The agency offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information aiding her recovery, but this is the same amount previously announced, with no new developments in the case.
The post reiterated details from 2019: Bhagat was last observed leaving her New Jersey apartment on the evening of April 29, dressed in vibrant pajama bottoms and a black top. Her family reported her missing on May 1. At the time, she was enrolled at the New York Institute of Technology in New York City and held an F1 student visa.
Reports from the initial disappearance indicate that her father, Vikas Bhagat, contacted authorities when she failed to return by May 3. He mentioned a final WhatsApp exchange on May 1 at around 3 a.m., in which she claimed to be okay but would not come home until May 3. The message’s poor English raised doubts, as Bhagat was proficient in the language, leading her father to believe someone else might have sent it using her phone.
The FBI’s post prompted misunderstandings on social media, with some users assuming it signaled a fresh investigation in 2026. In fact, the agency has shared similar updates multiple times over the past seven years.
Online reactions included frustration and criticism. One user questioned the timing, asking why the post appeared now if the disappearance occurred in 2019 and suggesting departmental inefficiencies. Another expressed hope for her safe return after seven years. A third user challenged how a global superpower could fail to locate a missing individual since 2019. Additional comments criticized the country’s ability to safeguard residents and visitors, with one asking if authorities had only recently learned of the case.
