A 27-year-old student from Telangana, Praveen Kumar Gampa, was tragically shot dead on Wednesday in Wisconsin, USA, in what is suspected to be a robbery attempt.
The incident took place near Gampa’s residence, leaving his family in shock and searching for answers.
The family’s alarm was first triggered when a stranger answered Praveen's call on WhatsApp, which his father, Raghavulu, missed initially. Upon returning the call, Raghavulu was puzzled to hear from an unknown individual claiming to have found his son’s phone.
This interaction deepened their fears, which were later confirmed by Praveen's friends and U.S. authorities.
Although details remain sparse, some reports from friends indicate that Praveen's body was discovered with bullet wounds, and it is believed the shooting might have occurred at the store where he was working part-time.
His cousin, Arun, relayed this information to the Press Trust of India (PTI), but the exact circumstances of the tragic incident are still unclear to the family.
The Consulate General of India in Chicago has reached out to the grieving family, offering condolences and support. "We are saddened by the untimely death of Praveen Kumar Gampa, a Post-graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Consulate is in contact with Praveen's family and the University, helping them with all possible support. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers are with his family and friends of the departed," the Consulate expressed in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Praveen had moved to the United States earlier in 2023 to pursue a Master’s degree in data science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His ambition and dreams were cut short by this tragic event.
This incident echoes a similar tragedy from December, when another student from Telangana, 22-year-old Sai Teja, was shot and killed by assailants during a robbery at a gas station in Chicago. These tragic events have raised concerns about the safety of international students overseas.