Indian student shot dead at US gas station; just 10 days away from graduation

Ohio: A student from Andhra Pradesh was shot dead by an unknown person in a suspected case of robbery in Ohio state of the US.

The student was identified as Saiesh Veera and the incident happened in Columbus division of the state on Thursday. According to media reports, Veera was a native of Andhra Pradesh.

According to information received by his family, the assailant shot Saiesh at 12.50 a.m. local time at the Shell fuel station, where he was working as a clerk.

Saiesh, who was pursuing his master's course and also doing a part-time job at a fuel station, was rushed to a hospital and was pronounced dead after a while.

The Columbus Police have released the photos of the suspect and appealed to the people to share any information about him. Though the motive behind the shooting was not established yet, police suspect it to be a case of robbery.

On April 20, 2023, at 12:50 am, Columbus Police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of W. Broad St. on a reported shooting. Upon arrival, the officers located an adult male victim, identified as Saiesh Veera, M/O/24, suffering from a gunshot wound," the police said in a notification.

According to Rohit Yalamanchili, who is overseeing an online fund raiser programme to send Veera's body back to India, the young man was doing his Master's course and he got picked under the H-1B visa with his graduation just 10 days away.

He was going to quit his work as a clerk at the fuel station in a couple of weeks, Mr Yalamanchili added.

Saiesh, who lost his father a few years ago, had gone to the United States in November 2021 for studies. To help the family financially, he had also taken up a part-time job at a fuel station. His mother and elder brother, who stay in Eluru, were shocked on receiving the information. They have appealed to the Indian government to help in bringing home the mortal remains.

(with PTI inputs)