Veera Saiesh, 25-Year-Old Student In OH, Shot And Killed

India-West News Desk

COLUMBUS, OH – As a wave of random shootings and killings rock the US, one more death has shocked the Indian American community. A 25-year-old student, two weeks from getting his graduate degree, was shot and killed here on April 21, by an unknown person in a suspected case of robbery.

Veera Saiesh was shot by the assailant at 12.50 a.m. local time at the Shell fuel station, where he was working as a clerk. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

The Columbus Police have released the photos of the suspect and appealed to the people to share any information about him.

Though the motive behind the shooting was not established yet, police suspect it to be a case of robbery.

Saiesh, who lost his father a few years ago, had come to the US in November 2021 for higher education. To help the family financially, he had also taken up a part-time job.

His mother and elder brother, who stay in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, were shocked on receiving the information. They have appealed to the Indian government to help in bringing home the mortal remains.

Friends in the US have set up a GoFundMe page to collect the amount needed to transport his body to India and provide assistance to his widowed mother. It said that Saiesh was set to graduate in 10 days and his H1B visa — which would have allowed him to work in the US — had been picked up. “He came to the USA (the first in his family) like any other middle-class guy with aspirations and uplift his family situation as his father passed away two years ago. He was always willing to help people in all situations and was such a sport on the cricket field. Every person who plays cricket in the Columbus area would know him, he was a brilliant cricketer and a great friend,” it said.