Three Telugu students who went to the U.S. to pursue higher education just about 10 days ago were attacked by armed robbers in Chicago, Illinois. One of the two who received critical injuries died while undergoing treatment.
The trio including N. Devasish (23) and K. Sai Charan (22) of Hyderabad in Telangana and Lakshman from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh reached Chicago around January 13 and joined a master’s programme at Governors State University, Chicago, according to reports.
On January 22 evening, the three who were at a parking lot were confronted by two armed locals. Even as they complied with the robbers and gave everything they had on them, the men opened fire. While Lakshman managed to escape unhurt, Devasish and Sai Charan received critical injuries in the torso, reports stated. Telugu Association of North America (TANA) representatives reached out to the students and extended necessary support.
“Devasish breathed his last while undergoing treatment. Lakshman was with us and we have taken care of him. We visited Sai Charan in the hospital and his condition is stable. We were told he’s out of danger,” Hema C. Kanuru, a senior member and representative of the Telugu Association of North America told The Hindu over the phone Tuesday afternoon (IST).
Mr. Kanuru said that though Devasish’s family is from Andhra Pradesh, they settled in Hyderabad a long time ago. Both Sai Charan and Devasish are from Hyderabad and Devasish’s father also works in the U.S., he added. Representatives of the Indian Embassy also visited Sai Charan in the hospital, he said. All the three students came to the U.S. about 10 days ago, he said.
Sai Charan is from BHEL in Ramachandrapuram of Sangareddy district, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. “My son Sai Charan was admitted in the hospital and his friends are updating us about his health condition. He is out of danger and getting treatment,” K. Srinivas, father of Mr. Sai Charan, told The Hindu. The parents are in a state of shock.
Mr. Kanuru said necessary support will be provided to Devasish’s family in sending the body to India and due process is going on. Meanwhile, the AP Non-Resident Telugu Society is also reaching out to the family of the victims.
