KHAMMAM: "He would have been alive now if he had not spared 10 minutes for his friend who had gone to pray," said Nukarapu Koteshwara Rao, the father of Sai Teja Nukarapu, a 22-year-old from Khammam, Telangana, who was shot dead at a store in Wisconsin, US, last Friday.
Speaking to TNIE on Tuesday, Koteshwara Rao said that his elder son's body was expected to arrive on Friday.
"We are still unable to digest the incident, and my wife doesn't know about our son's death," Koteshwara Rao said. "I told my wife that Sai Teja met with an accident and is undergoing treatment and that there is no threat to his life. I don’t know how she will react when she sees Sai Teja's body."
Sai Teja, who had gone to the USA for higher studies, was working at a store.
"On that day, Sai Teja had completed his duty and handed over the counter to another employee. However the employee requested my son to stay for another 10 minutes at the counter as he went to offer prayers. At that time, a few people suddenly entered the store and shot my son dead," Koteshwara Rao said.
Sai Teja had always helped the family and supported the family business in Khammam, even while he was a student. He was active and a good cricket player.
Koteshwara Rao said that TANA (Telugu Association of North America) and NRIs were providing great support, along with local representatives and the government, to bring the body back to their hometown.
"I came to know that the formalities will be completed by Wednesday, and arrangements will be made to send the body to India. We are expecting that the body will reach Khammam by Friday," Koteshwara Rao said.