Praveen Kumar Gampa, 27, a student from Telangana, was killed in a suspected attempt at robbery in Wisconsin on Wednesday. His family became alarmed when an unknown person picked up their phone.
They came to know about the accident only later through friends and American authorities. Sources say unidentified attackers fired gunshots near Gampa's house.
His father, Raghavulu, said that he had received a missed call on WhatsApp from his son in the morning on Wednesday. He tried calling him back, but a stranger answered and said they had Praveen's phone. The family became suspicious and soon their worst fears were confirmed.
As per Gampa's cousin Arun, some acquaintances said his body was found with gunshot injuries, while others said he was murdered in a shop. The family is not aware of the exact details of what happened.
Condoling his death, the Consulate General of India in Chicago offered condolences. "We are shocked by the sudden demise of Praveen Kumar Gampa, a Post-graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Consulate is in touch with Praveen's family and the University, assisting them with all possible assistance. Our deepest condolences and prayers are with his family and friends of the deceased," they tweeted on X (formerly Twitter).
Gampa had shifted to the US in 2023 to take a Master's in data science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was taking up a part-time job in a local store when the heart-wrenching incident occurred.
The incident takes place just months after the shooting dead of Telangana student Sai Teja, 22, by masked robbers in a gas station in Chicago last December.
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