Indian-origin biomedical engineer and Kuchipudi dancer Sadhana Gollapudi became the subject of a social media controversy after an account on X accused her of committing student-visa fraud. The claims circulated widely before US Attorney Aaron Reitz publicly stated that Gollapudi is a naturalised American citizen and is not living in the country on a student visa.

The controversy began with a July 30 post by an account using the name CyberGreen09. It alleged that Gollapudi had remained an F-1 student since 2014 by enrolling in multiple academic programmes. The account also shared a video of her performing Kuchipudi and accused her, without providing supporting evidence, of earning money through dance and private tutoring in violation of visa rules.

Responding on August 4, Reitz said his office had examined the allegation and found that Gollapudi was a naturalised US citizen. He stressed that his office treated visa fraud seriously and would prosecute cases involving immigration status obtained illegally. His statement, however, made clear that the accusations circulating against Gollapudi did not reflect her present legal status.

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Gollapudi addressed the controversy in an Instagram statement on August 6, describing the claims as false and misleading. She said her content had been reposted on another platform without her permission and that the episode had been extremely upsetting for her and her loved ones. She asked users who encountered the posts to report them for misinformation and unauthorised use.

The account responsible for the original accusations subsequently made its profile private. Its biography described it as a fan account devoted to Pakistani actor Hamza Sohail. Several social media users accused the account of repeatedly posting anti-Indian content and asked US authorities to examine its activities, although those claims about the account had not been independently established.

The incident has renewed concerns about online harassment and the risks of publicly accusing individuals of immigration offences without verified evidence. Social media users can face reputational and emotional harm when personal photographs or videos are republished with unsubstantiated allegations. Reitz’s intervention corrected the central claim in this case by confirming Gollapudi’s status as a naturalised American citizen.

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