Toronto has recorded its 41st homicide of the year after a 20-year-old Indian student was shot dead near the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus, prompting police to seek the public’s assistance in tracing the accused.
The victim, identified as Shivank Avasthi, a doctoral student, was found with a gunshot wound on Tuesday. Emergency services rushed to the spot following reports of a seriously injured person.
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, police said, “On Tuesday, at approximately 3:34 pm, police responded to a call for an unknown trouble in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area. Officers responded to reports of a person with serious injuries. Officers located a male victim with a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased on scene,” as quoted by NDTV.
Police said the assailants managed to escape before officers arrived. “The suspect(s) fled the area prior to police arrival,”the statement said. Authorities have appealed to anyone with information to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or through www.222tips.com.
Reacting to the killing, India expressed “deep anguish” over the “tragic” loss. In a post on X, the Consulate General of India in Toronto said it was supporting the bereaved family. “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,” it said. “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 statement added, as quoted by NDTV.
The incident comes close on the heels of another killing involving an Indian national in Toronto. Last week, the body of 30-year-old Himanshi Khurana was found inside a residence, a day after she was reported missing from the Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street W. area.
Police later issued a warrant against 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori for first-degree murder. Investigators said Ghafoori and Khurana were reportedly in an “intimate partner relationship”.
According to a report by NDTV, following Khurana’s death, the Consulate General of India in Toronto also expressed shock and said it was extending all possible assistance to her family. “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto. We extend our deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief. The Consulate has been in close touch with the matter over the past few days, and all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities,” it said on X.
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