An Indian woman and her seven-year-old son were found dead in their home in New Jersey, according to the family in Andhra Pradesh.
The victims were N Sasikala (40) and her son Anish Sai, their family, in Prakasam district, said yesterday.
Sasikala’s husband N Hanumantha Rao found the bodies when he returned home from work on Thursday evening.
Y Sambasiva Rao, a member of Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly from Prakasam district, spoke to representatives of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) over phone about the incident.
He said the mother and her son were strangulated to death.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tweeted, saying, “Pained to hear about the killing of Sasikala & son Sai in New Jersey, US. My condolences to the family members.”
“Saddened to learn about the killing of Sasikala and her son in New Jersey, US. Strongly condemn such acts of violence,” tweeted Telugu Desam Party general secretary and MLC Nara Lokesh.
Hanumantha Rao and Sasikala are software professionals. Sasikala used to work from home. The couple had been living in the US for nine years.
The murder was the latest in a series of incidents involving Indian techies.
Telangana’s aeronautical engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed when Adam W Purinton, who earlier served in the US Navy, shot him in Olathe, Kansas, on February 23.
Vamshi Reddy Mamidala, also from Telangana, was shot dead in Milpitas, California, on February 10 in a garage in his apartment building.
The killing was raised in parliament too yesterday. “This is a serious matter. This very dangerous. Just two weeks back, two Indians were killed and now two more people have been killed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take (it) up with the president of America,” demanded Congress Rajya Sabha member T Subbarami Reddy.
Deputy chairman P J Kurien asked for Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to be alerted to the killing.
In the Lok Sabha, Y V Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress Party asked the government to take a “very strong stand” in protecting Indians in the US.
“It’s a case of racial discrimination” and such incidents have been on the rise since Donald Trump became the US president. It is high time we take up these issues strongly with the US,” he added.
In his weekly media briefing in New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the government was still awaiting details of the incident.
“We are in touch with the US authorities who are trying to ascertain the details in the matter,” he said.
Sasikala and son Anishu2026tragic fate
