HYDERABAD: Even as Srinivas Kuchibotla’s tragic death in Kansas City in the USA, remains fresh in the memory of people, in yet another shocking incident, a Telugu student was shot dead in a similar fashion inside a restaurant in the same city on Saturday.
A 25-year-old youngster from Warangal, and an alumnus of Vasavi Engineering College in Hyderabad, studying at University of Missouri was shot dead inside a Kansas City restaurant on Saturday, according to US media reports.
Sharath Koppu, who moved to the US a few years ago, was shot dead by an unknown suspect at 7 p.m. Kansas time (5.30 am IST on Saturday) inside one J’s Fish and Chicken Market. He was with his two other friends at the restaurant, who managed to escape. The suspect is absconding.
According to local media reports, when the police reached the spot, they found Sharath lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound. Responding officers reportedly performed CPR on the victim and shifted him to a hospital, where he died.
However, Sharath’s family still have no idea about his condition. Speaking to Express, Sadasivudu, Sharath’s uncle, said, “We were informed of the incident by his friends in the US. However, neither have his friends been able to get through the authorities over there, nor have we. They are not saying anything and we don’t even know if he his dead or alive.”
Sharath’s father Ram Mohan is a BSNL employee.
The incident came to light on Saturday evening when relatives and friends of Sharath took to social media, tagging Telangana officials, after they couldn’t get any response from the US police regarding the matter. “@KTRTRS Sir, can I bring this to your notice for your kind help. Sharath Koppu, 26 years...is shot by gunmen and in hospital. We are unable to get any response from US police. Could you please lend your helping hand?” asked one Sandeep Vemulakonda in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Sharath’s family have approached the DGP M Mahendar Reddy and NRI Minister KT Rama Rao.