April 24, 2023
COLUMBUS, OH—Just weeks away from graduating from Cleveland University, 24-year-old Saiesh Veera was shot and killed by an African-American male robber while working part-time at a gas station in Columbus.
The 24-year-old was pursuing a master’s program and was about to fulfill his late father’s dream of getting an education in America. Veera was also set to visit India in May.
According to reports, the Veera was shot late Thursday during an attempted robbery at a gas station located in the 1000 block of W. Broad St.
“He had completed his Master’s degree and was just two weeks away from attending the convocation. He told us that he will quit his part-time job and come to India for two weeks. He planned to return to the US as he had several job offers in hand and had also got H1B visa to work there. Who knew his life would be snuffed out so cruelly and so suddenly?” Saiesh Veera’s brother, Veera Venkatesh told The Indian Express.
Veera’s late father was a lecturer at C.R. Reddy College in Eluru. He is survived by his mother and elder brother, who works in Andhra Pradesh’s Mangalagiri, according to The Print.
Veera’s GoFundMe page can be accessed by clicking HERE
The Telugu Association of North America (TANA), is an independent organization in the US and is currently working on getting Veera’s body back to India. The organization has raised concerns about the safety of Indian students in the US.
“We do a lot of seminars on what to do and what not to do in the US and a crucial part is watching one’s safety. Around 70,000 Indian students come to the US every year and it becomes very challenging for us to spread the message,” TANA Treasurer Ashok Babu Kolla told The Print over the phone
HELP US FIND THIS SUSPECT
Homicide detectives are asking for help to identify this person related to a deadly shooting that occurred on April 20, 2023. Saiesh Veera, 24, was shot and killed at a gas station located in the 1000 block of W. Broad St.
Tip? ☎ Call 614-645-4730 pic.twitter.com/25mjNtNzY0— Columbus Division of Police (@ColumbusPolice) April 20, 2023
Back in late January, two Indian students were shot in Chicago by robbers. There have been dozens of cases every other month of Indian students getting attacked, robbed, and killed by African-American assailants.
“He went to the US as per his father’s wish…what wrong did my son do that the killer shot him?” Veera’s mother told the media on Friday.
Authorities are still searching for the suspect.
Feature Images via GoFundMe & Columbus Division of Police