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

The victim, 22-year-old Sai Teja Nukarapu, was shot dead in the mall where he worked part-time. He lived in Khammam district of Telangana.

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

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

Another one about a week ago An Indian student from Telangana died after accidentally misfiring his gun on his birthday. The student, identified as Aryan Reddy, 23, died in Atlanta, Georgia.

Meanwhile, data from US consular officials in Hyderabad showed that India has overtaken China as the country with the most students in US universities in 2023-2024. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana accounted for 56 percent of these students, 34 percent were from Telangana and 22 percent were from Andhra Pradesh.

Rebekah Drame, the chief of the U.S. consular in Hyderabad, said the consulate conducted over 47,000 student visa interviews in the summer of 2024, compared to 35,000 in 2023. Alexander McLaren, public affairs officer, noted that India last year sent almost 3.3 million students to the USA every year. Most pursue a master’s degree.

Tune in