The Consulate General of India in Canada’s Toronto on Thursday (local time) expressed anguish over the killing of an Indian student in a shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.
This comes after the Toronto Police said on Tuesday that an Indian student, identified as Shivank Avasthi, was killed in a shooting in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area.
The Consulate said that it was in touch with the family of the victim and was providing necessary assistance “in close coordination” with local authorities.
"We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending all necessary assistance in close coordination with the local authorities," the Consulate General said in a statement on X.
The police said that they rushed to the spot after getting the information about the shooting and found the victim with a gunshot wound before he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Toronto Sun reported.
{{/usCountry}}The police said that they rushed to the spot after getting the information about the shooting and found the victim with a gunshot wound before he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Toronto Sun reported.
{{/usCountry}}Police officials said the suspects fled the scene before police arrived. The campus was locked down during the probe.
According to the Toronto Sun, this was Toronto's 41st homicide of the year. And it was the second death of an Indian in the city due to a crime in a matter of days.
Indian-origin woman murdered in Toronto
Toronto Police said earlier that a 30-year-old Indian-origin woman was found murdered in the city, prompting them to issue a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a suspect who is said to be known to the victim.
The deceased was identified as Himanshi Khurana, a resident of Toronto. According to the police, a search is underway for a 32-year-old accused individual from Toronto, identified as Abdul Ghafoori, in connection with the case.
Investigators said the incident appears to involve "intimate partner violence," CBC News reported.
India's Consulate in Toronto expressed deep shock and sorrow over the murder of the Indian origin woman on Wednesday.
In a post shared on X, the Consulate said it was "deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of. Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto," and extended its "deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief."
The statement said that the Consulate has been in close touch with the matter over the past few days and added that all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities as the investigation continues.