28-year-old Indian man from Telangana shot dead in US during pizza delivery: Cop

A28-year-old adult male from Telangana was crack deadened in the United States in a suspected targeted assail spell making a late-night pizza delivery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the early hours of Saturday (local time), his family members said on Sunday.The victim, identified as Kuncha Anshul, was a resident of Gundlapochampally in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district on the outskirts of Hyderabad.Local media reports in Pennsylvania, quoting the police, said Anshul was shot dead in the early hours of June 6 while delivering pizza to a vacant unit in a high-crime North Philadelphia housing complex.“He was found with a close-range gunshot wound to the head. A young Indian student working late nights to support his studies was gunned down after delivering to an empty address,” the report said.Anshul’s sister, Tanvi, told reporters at her residence that after graduating in engineering from a college in Hyderabad, he moved to the US in 2023 to pursue a master’s degree in business administration. After completing his studies, he secured a job with a multinational company.“He resided in North Philadelphia. To supplement his income, Anshul had been working part-time as a pizza delivery executive on weekends,” she said.According to information received by his parents, Kuncha Srinivas and Nilima, late on Saturday night, Anshul received an order to deliver three pizzas to an apartment unit in the Raymond Rosen Homes complex on Edge Street in North Philadelphia.“He reportedly reached the location around 12.30am and proceeded to complete the delivery. Moments after he entered the premises, two unidentified assailants wearing masks opened fire on him at close range,” Tanvi said.Anshul sustained severe gunshot injuries to the back of his head and collapsed on the spot. Passersby later noticed him and alerted emergency services, but he succumbed to his injuries.According to local media reports, police recovered three bullet shells from the crime scene and launched an intensive investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that the pizza order may have been placed for a vacant apartment, prompting investigators to examine whether the delivery request was deliberately used to lure him to the location. Authorities are also tracing the phone number and other details associated with the order.Surveillance footage showed two individuals following Anshul before the shooting, strengthening suspicions that the attack may have been planned in advance. Investigators are working to identify the suspects and establish the motive behind the killing.Family members strongly rejected the possibility of a robbery-related crime. They pointed out that the assailants did not take any cash, valuables or personal belongings from Anshul after the attack.“This was not a robbery. It appears to have been a deliberate plan to kill him,” Tanvi said, alleging that the fake pizza order was part of a carefully orchestrated trap. “It was a death trap, designed specifically to target my brother,” she said.She said the miscreants sent him to a deserted location on the pretext of a pizza delivery. “Later we learned that nobody was actually there. It was a trap laid to kill him. We do not know who was behind it or what they gained from taking his life,” she said.Tanvi also revealed that Anshul had previously been the victim of a robbery in the US, during which his gold chain, mobile phone and cash were stolen. However, they said he had never faced a life-threatening attack before or after that.Expressing anguish over her brother’s death, Tanvi appealed to both the Central and state governments to facilitate the repatriation of Anshul’s mortal remains to India. She also urged authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.In an emotional appeal, she cautioned parents against sending their children abroad without fully understanding the risks involved.“My brother was a loving and cheerful person. He did not even want to go to America initially, but we encouraged him. Today we lost him. I request parents to think carefully before sending their children abroad,” she said.She said the Consulate General of India assured them that it is coordinating with local authorities to bring Anshul’s mortal remains back home in a day or two.