Indian student from Telangana shot dead in California

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An Indian student from Telangana doing a master’s program in California was shot dead on Saturday night in San Francisco, in an alleged robbery that went awry.

Vamsi Reddy Mamidala, 24, of Warangal was doing MS at a university in California, and was also working in a store for part time. When he was going home from work on Saturday night, a man reportedly tried to rob him off. As Vamsi tried to resist, the White man, believed by police to be under the influence of drugs, shot the young Telugu guy with a gun that he was carrying, reported Gultu.com.

The Hindu reported police officials from the US called up the family in Warangal and informed about their son’s killing.

The perpetrator escaped and police are currently searching for him. Doubts are being expressed that the killing might not be just a robbery-turned-homicide but a racism-influenced crime, Gultu.com reported.

The New Indian Express reported Mamidala had recently completed his MS course in Computer Science and was looking for software jobs in the area while working part-time in a store.

Distraught over son’s death, Vamsi Reddy’s father Mamidala Mohan Reddy, a farmer, told New Indian Express, “He spoke to me two days ago. He was very worried about his future as the new government in the US is imposing restrictions on the hiring of foreign nationals in the IT sector. I asked him not to worry about getting a job and asked him to come back to India. But he was gone within two days.”

Vamsi Reddy Mamidala’s parents live in Vangapahad village in Hasanparthy mandal of Warangal district. He went to the US in 2014 after completing a B.Tech degree in Vathsalya Institute of Science & Technology (VIST) located at Bhongir in Nalgonda.

Hindu reported Kazipet Assistant Commissioner of Police B. Janardhan paid a visit to Vangapahad and consoled the family members.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari expressed shock at the killing of Vamsi and said the state government would initiate process to get the body of the deceased back home at the earliest.