Ottawa/New Delhi: A 21-year-old Indian student was found dead under mysterious circumstances on a beach near her college in Canada’s Ottawa, the Indian Embassy confirmed on Tuesday. Vanshika went missing on Friday, after which a massive search operation was launched.
According to the Ottawa police, Vanshika left her residence at 7, Majestic Drive, around 8-9 pm on Friday to look at a room she planned to rent. Her phone was switched off from 11.40 pm and suspicions began to arise after she missed an important exam the next day.
According to friends, Vanshika was extremely serious about her studies and would never miss an exam by choice. The Ottawa Indo-Canadians Association and the local Hindu community made several appeals on social media to trace her after that.
Friends and family have said that Vanshika would call up her family every morning. Her father Davinder Saini, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Punjab’s Dera Bassi, said that he last spoke to his daughter on Friday morning.
“Everything seemed fine then. There was no contact thereafter and we got worried. The Embassy confirmed on Tuesday that she is no more,” Saini told the media.
The Embassy has said that the matter has been taken up with local authorities. The police have not been able to trace her phone as yet.
Vanshika’s death comes barely days after the death of 21-year-old Harsimrat Randhawa, another Indian student in Canada. Harsimrat was waiting at a bus stop when she was hit by a stray bullet fired during a shootout between two gangs.
Earlier in April, another Indian national was stabbed to death in Rockland, a town near Ottawa. While a person has been arrested, the police have not disclosed much regarding the case.
