Gainsville (US): A body found in a University of Florida housing complex has been identified as a graduate assistant from India, police said. They said he was stabbed to death.

Since Sunday (Jan 4, 2004), University officials believed the body might have been that of Sudheer Reddy Satti, 24, who rented the apartment where the body was found. Dr William Hamilton, the area medical examiner, confirmed that it was.

Satti was last seen alive on Dec 31.

Lt Joe Sharkey, a spokesman for the University of Florida Police Department yesterday said Satti received multiple stab wounds and that no weapon was found at the scene.

No arrests have been made in the case, the first murder on campus in 25 years.

Satti came to the United States to work on his graduate degree in Civil Engineering in 2002. He worked as a graduate assistant while working on his doctorate.

Two friends concerned about his well-being asked officials Sunday to check his apartment at Maguire Village, a housing complex for families and graduate students.

Officers found the body in the back bedroom of the first-floor apartment. The door and windows were locked, and there was no sign of forced entry, police said.

Police released information about a stereo system, home theatre system, speaker-phone, VCR and DVD player missing from Satti's apartment, hoping it might lead to information in the case.