Days after an Indian student was stabbed in Indiana, the United States has expressed regret over the incident and wished the victim a full recovery. On October 29, Indian student Varun Raj Pucha was stabbed at a gym in Indiana. Reacting to the incident, the US also stated that it defers to local law enforcement for any questions about this ongoing case.
"We are deeply disturbed by reports of a brutal attack against Indian graduate student Varun Raj Pucha. We wish him a full recovery from his injuries. We defer to local law enforcement for any questions about this ongoing case," US State Department spokesperson told news agency ANI.
The victim is on life support
Pucha, a native of Telangana, was stabbed in the head and is currently on life support at a hospital. He has now been transferred to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne because of the serious nature of the injuries. Meanwhile, the accused Jordan Andrade (24) has been arrested by the police and further investigation is underway. According to reports, he is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
Andrade was produced before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer where he pleaded not guilty to the charges of a Level 1 felony, and a Level 3 felony. The judge set his bond at USD 500,000 cash and USD 500,000 surety. According to media reports, Andrade said he could afford a USD 300,000 bond. The judge deemed Andrade a flight risk.
What the attacker said?
The attacker told the police that he had requested a massage that morning and walked into the massage room in the gym to find the other man, whom he did not know but found "a little weird." Determining the other man posed a threat, Andrade said he made sure to react the "right way," according to a charging document.
"Andrade then described the man as a threat to him so he, 'just reacted,'" police said. They walked into the massage chair room to find a large amount of blood on one of two chairs and a folding knife on the counter that reportedly belonged to Andrade, the police added.
Indian student went to US in 2022
It should be mentioned here that Varun had been pursuing an MS in Computer Science and left for the US in August 2022. He was expected to return home after completion of his course next year. His father P Ram Murthy is a teacher in Telangana's Khammam.
(With inputs from agencies)
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