Andhra techie's family stunned by his killing in US

Hyderabad (IANS): They were looking for a bride for him. But that was not to be. Just days after he left his home in Andhra Pradesh, mechanical engineer Rudraraju Sudheer Kumar was found shot dead in his Atlanta home leaving his family here numb with grief.

A pall of gloom has descended on the house of Kumar's parents here and also in his native village in Gudimalla in Sakhinetipalli Mandal of East Godavari district.

Kumar, 31, an engineer with Toyota Motors, was found murdered in his flat in Atlanta Tuesday night. He is the third techie from the state to die in less than a month in the US.

Kumar, the only son of Srirama Raju and Padmavathi, had returned to the US on Jan 17 after spending nearly a month with his parents. He had also visited his native village and celebrated the festival of Makar Sankranthi with his grandparents.

"The boy was full of life. He was here to celebrate Sankranthi and it is unbelievable that he is no more," said K. Pallam Raju, Kumar's maternal grandfather in Myfa village in West Godavari district.

"What is more tragic is that his end came at a time when we were looking for a suitable bride for him," he added.

Kumar and his elder sister Bindu Madhavi, who share a flat in Atlanta, had come here on Dec 11. While Kumar went back on Jan 17, Madhavi was to leave on Feb 6.

The murder came to light when Kumar's friend Madhukar went to his flat after he did not turn up at a local tennis club during the weekend and also did not return his calls.

Madhukar found the cars of both Kumar and his sister in the parking lot and informed the police, who opened the door to find Kumar's body lying on the floor.

Madhukar informed Kumar's family about his death over the phone and said the police had not allowed him to see the body.

Srirama Raju received no information either about the identity of the killers or the motive for the crime. He said he was not aware of the reports that unidentified people shot him dead when he refused to part with the money.

"Someone might have attacked him when he opened the door," the grieving father said while trying to control his tears, regretting that he had not called his son during the weekend.

The family was busy with preparations for Madhavi's departure when they heard of Kumar's death.

Family members said Kumar left for the US seven years ago after doing his engineering in Bangalore. He did his Masters in the US and got a job with Toyota.

Kumar's murder is the ninth case of students and professionals from Andhra Pradesh being killed in the US in the last 14 months.