Telangana techie shot dead by police in California; grieving family pleads for body’s return

A 30-year-old Indian software professional from Telangana was allegedly shot dead by police in Santa Clara, California, earlier this month, his devastated family confirmed on September 19.

The victim, Mohammed Nizamuddin, hailed from Mahabubnagar district and had moved to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree before securing work in the tech industry. According to his father, Mohammed Hasnuddin, the incident reportedly took place on September 3 following a “scuffle” with his roommate.

“I came to know this morning that my son was shot dead by Santa Clara Police. His mortal remains are lying in some hospital in California. I do not know the actual reasons why the police opened fire,” Hasnuddin wrote in an emotional appeal to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging the government’s intervention in repatriating his son’s body.

The grieving father has requested the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to direct the Indian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate in San Francisco to expedite the process.

Amjed Ullah Khan, spokesperson of the Majlis Bachao Tahreek (MBT) party in Telangana, also amplified the family’s plea on X stating that Nizamuddin had been “shot dead by police during a commotion with his roommates” and that his remains have been left in a Santa Clara hospital.

The exact sequence of events leading to the police firing remains unclear, and official details from US authorities are awaited.