By IANS,
Hyderabad : A software engineer from Andhra Pradesh has been shot dead by unidentified assailants in South Africa, his family members said Tuesday.
B. Kiran, 28, who was injured in the attack Thursday, died at a hospital in Johannesburg early Tuesday. His family members in Andhra Pradesh’s Warangal district said a doctor hailing from the state told them over telephone that Kiran succumbed to the bullet injuries.
Kiran, who had been working in South Africa for the past two years, was hit by two bullets when unidentified people attacked him while he was returning from office Thursday. The assailants fled after snatching his laptop.
A pall of gloom descended on Kiran’s house in Arepalli village in Warangal, about 200 km from here.
Dozens of relatives and friends called on Kiran’s bereaved parents at their house on hearing the news.
“We can’t believe that our son is no more. We don’t know who killed him and why,” said Kiran’s father B. Shankaraiah.
He recalled that Kiran had come home on vacation last month and returned to Johannesburg June 27.
“He studied and worked hard to come up in life. No parent should suffer this agony,” said his wailing mother B. Indira, as top district officials visited the house to console the family and promised to arrange passports and visas for them to go to Johannesburg.
Kiran’s brother B. Satish told reporters that the South African police informed the family about the shooting incident late Monday. He said Kiran’s friends had not contacted the family.
“They may be afraid of sharing any details as they could be probed by authorities there,” he said.
The software engineer’s family is still waiting for a call from the authorities in the Indian embassy in South Africa to know details of the attack.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has announced Rs.500,000 as compensation for the family of the slain techie. He also said the government would bear the expenses for bringing his body home.
The body is likely to be flown in three days. Warangal District Collector N. Sridhar received information from the South African authorities that it would take three days for them to send the body to India.
Superintendent of Police V.C. Sajjnar, who visited Kiran’s house, promised to help the family in obtaining passports and visas if they want to go to South Africa to bring back the body.
Kiran’s killing is the latest in a series of attacks on Telugu students and professionals abroad. It came close on the heels of attack on two students in Australia last month. Both the students were injured in the separate incidents.
At least seven students and professionals hailing from the state were murdered in separate incidents in the US during the last one-and-half years.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has urged the state government to take all steps to protect Telugus living abroad. TRS leader Harish Rao demanded Rs.1 million as compensation to the family of Kiran.