Richmond: An Indian-origin woman was shot dead during a suspected robbery bid at a supermarket in Virginia, United States. The woman, identified as Meghnaben Patel (45), originally from Gujarat, had been working at the supermarket for nearly 10 years.
The police reached the scene immediately after receiving information about the incident, cordoned off the area, and launched an investigation. Special teams were also deployed to arrest the attacker, as reported by Hindustan Times.
A purported video is doing the rounds on social media, which shows a man entering the supermarket wearing animal-print pants, a full-sleeved jacket, a face mask and gloves.
At first, he interacts with Patel, posing as a potential customer. The man is then seen shoving his hands in his pockets, moving in front of the counter for a minute before pulling a gun from his jacket.
The miscreant then shoots Patel twice as she collapses on the floor, and jumps on the counter to take a final shot before fleeing the scene.
According to a report in the Dainik Jagran, Patel hailed from Jantral village in the Bijapur area of Gujarat’s Mehsana district, and is survived by her husband, Upendrabhai Patel, daughter, Nakshi, and son, Smith. Her parents, Karsanbhai, and mother, Kapilaben, still live in Jantral.
Villagers told the media that the deceased was a very loving and simple-minded woman.
This is the second violent crime against a person of Indian origin in the US in less than three months. In March this year, a 22-year-old man from Samoura village in Indri sub-division of Haryana’s Karnal district was reportedly shot dead at his rented apartment in Georgia, US.
After finishing school, the deceased, Chetak Sharma, alias Laakha, had illegally immigrated to the US in 2024, in search of better financial prospects to support his family.
Sharma worked as a storekeeper and was found shot dead inside his room.
His family, which took a Rs 50 lakh loan to send Sharma abroad, had appealed to the government and social organisations to assist in repatriating his body for the last rites.