KHAMMAM/WASHINGTON: A 24-year-old man, Puchha Varuntej, who was battling for life after a man stabbed him at a public gym on November 5 died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment in Fort Wayne’s Lutheran Hospital at Valparaiso in Indiana.
Varun, a Computer Science student at Valparaiso University, was stabbed in the head with a knife by the assailant Jordan Andrade, 24, at the public gym on October 29 for reasons that the authorities are still investigating.
The attacker, Jordan Andrade, was arrested after he drove a knife into Varun’s head at Planet Fitness Club in Valparaiso. He is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
Varun had left for the US in August 2022. He was a resident of Mamilligudem in Khammam. He was expected to return home (Telangana's Khammam) after completion of his course next year.
His father works as a teacher in a government school in Mahaboobabad district. His parents have appealed to the government to take steps to bring the body to India for cremation.
"It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Varun Raj Pucha. Our campus community has lost one of its own, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Varun's family and friends as we mourn this devastating loss," Valparaiso University, a private university in Valparaiso, Indian, near Chicago said in a statement on Wednesday.
Anile Balleboyne, Varun's cousin, said that he had only had movement on one side of his body and was unconscious at a hospital in Fort Wayne before his death.
She said he came to Indiana about a year and a half ago in hopes of getting a good education. "It's very difficult because no one would expect this kind of situation for their kids. He has many dreams. He came with many dreams, to financially and emotionally support his family," Balleboyne said.
By Wednesday, the North American Telugu Society had raised USD 90,000 through GoFundMe for Varun's family.
A service of remembrance and memorial for Varun is being planned on campus for November 16.
(With inputs from Express News Service and PTI)