Indian influencer Anunay Sood dies abroad due to suspected drug overdose

New Delhi: The death of travel influencer Anunay Sood, confirmed by his family last week, is now believed to be linked to a suspected drug overdose, according to a news report by LA-based outlet 8NewsNow. Sood was found unresponsive inside a room at the Wynn Las Vegas on November 4, with documents reviewed by the outlet stating that “narcotics” were located near his body.

Police officers discovered him in the hotel room earlier this month, and his social media posts indicated he had travelled to Las Vegas to attend the Las Vegas Concours 2025 car show.

According to the news report, a woman who had been staying with Sood told investigators that the group had bought what they believed to be cocaine from a man on the casino floor at around 4 am. She said Sood, along with her and another woman, consumed the substance before falling asleep.

When the two women woke roughly an hour later, they found Sood unresponsive. Police said they recovered a small bag containing an unidentified white substance, along with other evidence suggesting the group had snorted the powder.

His family and friends confirmed his death on Instagram last week, asked for privacy and requested that followers refrain from gathering near the family residence. His final posts placed him in Las Vegas at the time of his death.

In an earlier statement to HT, the Los Angeles police said, "On November 4, 2025, LVMPD responded to a dead body located in the 3100 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard. Officers assisted the coroner and took a non-criminal/medical report."

The Clark County coroner’s office has listed the cause and manner of death as pending, noting that toxicology tests required to determine whether substances were involved may take several months. As of Monday, authorities said no arrests had been made.

Sood was a travel influencer, photographer and entrepreneur known for his distinctive, visually driven travel content. He built a significant audience, with more than 1.4 million Instagram followers and around 3.8 lakh YouTube subscribers, and appeared in Forbes India’s Top 100 Digital Stars list for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024.

He began by documenting his travels on Instagram and later launched a Dubai-based digital performance and marketing agency. Over the years, he visited 46 countries and often spoke about his plan to travel across all 195 countries and regions.