Telangana student shot dead in Chicago shopping mall, had went to US 3 months ago

A student from Telangana was fatally shot by armed assailants at a shopping mall in the US city of Chicago on Friday.

The victim, identified as 22-year-old Sai Teja Nukarapu, was shot at the shopping mall where he had been working part-time. He was a resident of Telangana’s Khammam district.

Teja was working at the cash counter in a shopping mall when a group of armed men entered, opened fire on him, and took the cash. He died at the scene.

Teja had completed a BBA in India and was pursuing an MBA in the US. He went to US three months ago for higher studies.

About a week ago, another Indian student from Telangana died after he accidently misfired his gun on his birthday. The student, identified as Aryan Reddy, 23, died in Atlanta, Georgia.

Meanwhile, data from US consular officials in Hyderabad revealed that India surpassed China as the top country of students for US universities in 2023-24. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana accounted for 56 percent of these students, with 34 percent from Telangana and 22 percent from Andhra Pradesh.

Rebekah Drame, the US consular chief in Hyderabad, said the consulate conducted over 47,000 student visa interviews in the summer of 2024, compared to 35,000 in 2023. Public affairs officer Alexander McLaren noted that India sent nearly 3.3 lakh students to the US last year, with most pursuing master’s degrees.

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