Bengaluru: A 37‑year‑old Indian‑origin IT professional from Karnataka, Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar, was shot dead in a targeted attack outside a mall in Toronto on Saturday, reports said.
The incident took place at the parking lot of a busy shopping mall in the Rexdale area of Toronto when unidentified assailants opened fire at his SUV in broad daylight.
Chandan, a computer‑science graduate from Sapthagiri College, Bengaluru, was a na
tive of Thyamagondlu village near Nelamangala – about 47 km from the city. Chandan had moved to Canada about six years ago and was working with LTI Mindtree, a subsidiary of L&T.
Chandan’s parents are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their only son. They had spoken to him the day before his death and were planning his marriage.
“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,” reports quoted his father Nandakumar, as saying.
No arrests have been made so far. Police in Toronto have launched a homicide investigation, suspecting a “targeted” attack. Some relatives suspect Chandan’s efforts to form a Kannada association in Toronto could have played a role in the killing. However, police have not given any motive behind the killing so far.