BENGALURU: A 37-year-old Indian-origin tech professional from Karnataka was shot dead in a brazen daylight attack after his SUV was sprayed with bullets while he was sitting inside it at the parking lot of a busy shopping mall in Toronto on Saturday, sending shockwaves through the Indian diaspora in Canada and back home.According to an official release from the Toronto Police Service (TPS), officers rushed to the spot after receiving reports of a shooting and found Chandan with multiple gunshot wounds. “He was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries before he succumbed to the wounds,” family members told TOI, quoting the TPS communication. Visuals from the scene showed Chandan’s white car riddled with bullet holes, prompting investigators to treat the killing as a “targeted” attack. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle.
The victim was identified as Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar, a resident of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area and a native of Thyamagondlu village near Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district. He was seated inside his SUV when unidentified assailants opened fire near the entrance of Woodbine Shopping Centre, close to Rexdale Boulevard, around 3.30pm local time.No arrests have been made so far, and Toronto Police have launched a homicide investigation. TPS Inspector Errol Watson said the incident raised serious public safety concerns. “I can understand how a shooting like this, especially at a mall, can cause concern for the safety of the public,” he told the media.Back in Thyamagondlu, around 47 km from Bengaluru, Chandan’s parents were struggling to come to terms with the loss of their only son. His father, Nandakumar, said the family was planning for Chandan’s return and marriage this year.“We spoke to him last Friday. He said he would take leave and come home this summer. We were planning for his marriage. We are completely shattered,” he said.Family members said Chandan had repeatedly postponed his return to India. “Had he listened to us and returned, he would have been with us now,” Nandakumar lamented.Relatives have expressed suspicion that Chandan’s efforts to form a Kannada association in Toronto could have played a role in the killing, though police have not indicated any motive so far.A computer science graduate from Sapthagiri College, Bengaluru, Chandan had moved to Canada about six years ago. He was working with LTI Mindtree, a subsidiary of L&T, and had earlier been employed with Cognizant in Bengaluru.The killing marks Toronto’s third homicide this year and has triggered grief and outrage among Kannadigas in Canada and Karnataka. Friends said Chandan was actively involved in Kannada cultural circles in Toronto, promoting Kannada films, music and community events.Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said, “We are disturbed by the incident. We have lost a Kannadiga. Our police department has already sought the help of the ministry of external affairs to bring back the body.”Chikkaballapur MP K Sudhakar said he was coordinating with MEA authorities to facilitate the repatriation of Chandan’s body.Chandan’s uncle Murali Krishna said the family was unable to understand the motive behind the killing. “He built a stable life abroad and was working hard. He was the only son. We don’t know why this happened,” he said.
