$ 10000 reward for info on Telangana student’s killer, Sushma tweets condolences.

According to authorities in Kansas, Sharath Koppu was fatally shot during a suspected incident of robbery at a restaurant where he worked. He died shortly after being taken to a hospital on Friday.

New Delhi, July 8: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday condoled the death of an Indian student during an attempted robbery in Kansas City in the US and assured all required assistance to the family of the deceased.

According to authorities in Kansas, Sharath Koppu, who hails from Telangana, was fatally shot during a suspected incident of robbery at a restaurant where he worked. He died shortly after being taken to a hospital on Friday.

Kansas incident – My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. We will follow this up with the Police and provide all assistance to the family. @IndiainChicago @IndianEmbassyUS⁩ ⁦@NavtejSarna⁩

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 8, 2018

“Kansas incident – My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. We will follow this up with the Police and provide all assistance to the family,” Swaraj tweeted.

Koppu from Telangana was a software engineer who came to the US in January to pursue his master’s degree.

“An Indian student became victim of shooting in Kansas City, Missouri. We r in contact with his family & police. We will provide all assistance. Our officers are also on the way to Kansas City (sic),” the Consulate General of India in Chicago tweeted yesterday.

The Kansas City Police announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect and released a brief video of the suspect inside the restaurant moments before the shooting. Police also released the CCTV footage of the incident, which shows the suspect’s face.

“Looking for this suspect in the robbery & murder of 25-y.o. Sharath Kopuu at 5412 Prospect last night. Sharath was from India and is a student at UMKC. $10,000 reward for info leading to charges in this (& every KCMO murder),” the Kansas City Police tweeted.

Sharath Koppu, a 26-year-old student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UKMC), was shot at 7 pm on Friday at J’s Fish and Chicken Market near 54th and Prospect, where he worked as a part-time employee.

Koppu was a software engineer who moved to the US in January to pursue his Master’s degree.

His cousin Raghu Chowdavaram has created a GoFundMe account to collect money to pay for the body to be returned to India, raising $25,000 in three hours, IANS reported.

“He had the same dreams like everyone else, to make it big in the land of opportunity. He had a great sense of humour and always made people laugh and was always eager to lend a helping hand,” Chowdavaram wrote in the GoFundMe account.

Another cousin Raghvender wrote, “This could have been another beautiful life story if NOT came abruptly to a closure. Little did anybody know that life is about to take a big unfortunate turn on a fateful day of July 6th 2018. Friends, Family and everyone who knew him were in deep shock and having a hard time to believe the news (sic),” Raghvender, another cousin of the victim, wrote.

A worker at the restaurant told The Kansas City Star that the suspect, wearing a brown shirt with white stripes, had demanded money and pulled out a gun.

As people hid or ran for cover around him, Koppu bolted directly away from the suspect, towards the back of the store. “(Koppu) ran, so he shot him in the back,” the worker said. Koppu died after being taken to a hospital.

“We offer our sincere sympathies to Sharath’s family and friends in the wake of this senseless tragedy,” UMKC said in a statement on Saturday. UMKC Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal offered his own condolences in a tweet Saturday evening. “Sharath and I share an Indian heritage, but all of us at UMKC share in the grief such tragedies bring,” Agrawal wrote.