Camera footage obtained by university police Monday shows
missing UCLA student Ahmad Arain boarding a bus in the South Los
Angeles area on the day he was reported missing and exiting the bus
later that day.
Authorities believe Arain boarded the No. 305 MTA bus headed for
UCLA at 10:43 a.m. July 23 and exited at 11:30 a.m. at the San
Vicente Boulevard and McCarthy Vista stop ““ about 6 miles
from UCLA.
Authorities do not know why Arain got off at that particular
stop, which is not a transfer point.
“The only person that knows why he got off there is
Ahmad,” said Nancy Greenstein, director of police community
services for UCPD.
Arain’s family and friends had speculated that Arain
exited the bus to get something to eat because he had missed
breakfast that morning. But Greenstein said the area around the
stop is residential with some office buildings and few, if any,
places to eat.
The UCPD is now investigating the area around the stop but has
found no sign of Arain.
Greenstein said every step of the investigation has been
“very, very time consuming.” To determine the stop at
which Arain exited, investigators had to take pictures through the
windows of the bus and compare them with the surveillance footage,
she said.
The UCPD is working with all agencies in Los Angeles County to
find Arain, Greenstein said.
Greenstein said an important factor in this investigation is
that Arain is an adult.
“Adults can go away without telling anyone,” she
said.
Arain’s family members previously had said they believe he
would not have gone anywhere without telling them. Arain was
reported missing July 23 after failing to return to his Anaheim
home. The UCPD immediately opened a missing person’s
investigation.
In a press conference last week, Arain’s family announced
that it will offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to his
safe return.
With reports from Narges Zohoury, Bruin senior staff.
Contact UCPD at (310) 825-1491 with any information regarding
Arain’s whereabouts.