NEW YORK (TIP): No foul play is suspected in the death of an Indian American mathematician working with cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence whose body was found floating in New York’s Hudson River. The dead man found off West 45th Street and 12th Avenue in Manhattan on Monday, April 19 was identified as Shuvro Biswas, 31, the media reported citing police sources and his “devastated” family. His body was found near a tourist area where a decommissioned aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid, that is now a museum is moored and there are piers for sightseeing boats.
There were no immediately apparent signs of foul play, according to police sources. Biswas’ brother told the media that he and his family were gutted by the news, noting that they’d tried in vain to get Biswas help as he battled apparent mental illness. “We’re all extremely devastated,” said Biprojit Biswas, 34, when reached by phone by the media. “There’s no words.” “He’s a really good guy. He’s brilliant,” he was quoted as saying. “He went to Bronx High School of Science. He went on to study applied mathematics. We’re still not sure where things went wrong.” Biswas told the media his sibling was self-employed and most recently working on a cryptocurrency security program, and online profiles show that the younger Biswas also dabbled in artificial intelligence. The family started to see changes in Biswas’ demeanor over the past year, but that he largely kept his struggles to himself, according to the deceased’s brother. “He was always a normal, healthy person, or so he led us to believe,” the elder Biswas said.
“The changes started coming only in the past year. He would say things that didn’t make much sense from time to time. He had a girlfriend, and they had a bad breakup, but I don’t want to say that was the cause of everything. He didn’t really like to share much. He’s a private person.”
Biswas said his family urged his younger brother to talk to someone. “We tried to convince him to the best of our abilities to seek professional help, but he always denied that he needed psychiatric help,” the elder Biswas said. “He was going to a neurologist, but he wouldn’t say for what.”
In February, the management of the younger Biswas’ West 37th Street apartment building took him to Manhattan Supreme Court, seeking to evict him over a slew of alleged bizarre acts inside the building, including setting fires, openly brandishing a knife and smearing blood inside the elevator, the media reported citing court filings. “Defendant is a ticking time bomb who, just months into the Lease, has engaged in numerous incidents of escalating, offensive nuisance-type conduct that threatens the lives, health, safety and well-being of building staff, building residents and building property,” lawyers for the building wrote in one filing. The filing, according to the media reports, claimed that Biswas had intentionally set a mattress on fire in his unit — while leaving an open propane tank in the apartment. He also allegedly brandished a knife, smeared blood in the building elevator, illegally installed surveillance cameras and an alarm system, scattered bullets throughout the building. Biswas also filed multiple false reports of intruders with the police — one of which saw him greet responding officers by “brandishing [a] sword,” according to the filing. The elder Biswas said his brother had explained the arson allegation as a cooking fire. “There was a fire in his apartment. He said it was a cooking accident,” he told the media “The fire department came in and put it out. The department had some questions for him, but they never came back with the questions.” The city Medical Examiner’s Office will determine a cause of death, the report said.