Indian Techie Shot Dead in South Africa
B Kiran, a 28 year old software engineer from Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, succumbed to bullet wounds at a Johannesburg hospital early on Tuesday. He sustained the injuries in a gun attack on Thursday, say family members.
According to Kiran’s family members, they were informed of Kiran’s death over the telephone by a doctor hailing from the state.
At least two bullets hit Kiran when two unidentified attackers shot at him while he was heading home after work on Thursday. The deceased had been living in South Africa for the last two years and had returned to the country on June 27, after a vacation at his native Arepali village.
Correspondents quoting Kiran’s kin say, the family was informed of the shooting incident by the South African Police on Monday. Incidentally, Kiran’s friends and colleagues have not been in touch with his family.
Distressed family members are still waiting for officials at the Indian Embassy in South Africa to provide details of the attack and the subsequent investigations.
Attacks on Indians, especially those in the IT industry, are becoming alarmingly commonplace – events similar to the shooting incident on Thursday have taken place across several countries and continents and a failure on part of the government to establish a mechanism to intervene and take up the matter on bilateral platforms could spell doom for the tech community that is known for its significant forex contribution t the economy, say analysts.
