A 26-year-old Indian doctoral student, Aaditya Adlakha, lost his life after being shot inside a car in Ohio. The incident was described as "sudden, tragic, and senseless" by the University of Cincinnati Medical School, where Adlakha was a fourth-year molecular and developmental biology doctoral student.
Adlakha came to Cincinnati from north India to pursue a PhD in medicine. He completed his degree in Zoology from Ramjas College of the University of Delhi in 2018 and received his master's degree in physiology in 2020 from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
The incident took place on November 9, when Cincinnati Police officers found Adlakha shot inside a vehicle that had crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct. Drivers had reportedly called the emergency helplines to report that a vehicle with a person inside had multiple bullet holes on the car. According to a report by PTI, at least three bullet holes were visible on the vehicle at the driver's side. ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, also reported gunfire around 6:20 am in the area, added PTI.
Adlakha was in critical condition when he was taken to UC Medical Center and was pronounced dead two days later. An investigation is underway, but no arrests have been made yet.
This news comes a few days after Varun Raj Pucha, a 24-year-old computer science student at Valparaiso University, succumbed to injuries sustained in a stabbing at a fitness centre on October 29 in Indiana. The assailant, Jordan Andrade, 24, now faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
Earlier this year, on April 21, 24-year-old Saiesh Veera from Andhra Pradesh was also shot during a robbery attempt at the gas station where he worked in Columbus, Ohio, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The United States is one of the most popular destinations for Indian students to study abroad. According to a US Consulate General- Chennai press release on the Open Doors Report (ODR) data released earlier this month, India has surpassed China to become the largest source of international graduate students in the US since 2009-10. Indian students now constitute more than 25 per cent of more than one million international students in the United States.
(With agency inputs)
