United States Of Xenophobia: Gujarati Women Working At Cash Counter Of South Carolina Store Shot Dead, Is USA Becoming Unsafe For Working-Class Indians?
A 21-year-old man, Zaedan Mack Hill, has been arrested in connection with two shooting incidents in Union County, South Carolina — one of which resulted in the death of a Gujarati woman, 49-year-old Kiran Patel, on September 16.
The police discovered an unconscious man (Charles Nathan Crosby) on a yard in South Mountain Street earlier that evening. Later, around 10:30 pm, Kiran Patel was shot while at the gas station/convenience store she managed in Union County. Hill reportedly approached the register, jumped over it, and shot Patel during a robbery attempt before she could hand over cash.
Patel tried to escape by running to the parking lot after throwing something (like a bottle) at Hill, but he pursued her and fired again. She was wounded by the second shot while unconscious on the ground.
Law enforcement, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the SWAT team, obtained a search and arrest warrant for Hill’s residence on South Church Street. After a multi-hour standoff, Hill was eventually taken into custody. He has been charged with murder.
United States of Xenophobia: Rising Racism and Hate Crimes Against Indians
September 2025 – Dallas, Texas: Chandramouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, a 50-year-old motel manager from Karnataka, was brutally beheaded by a co-worker in Dallas, Texas, following a dispute over a malfunctioning washing machine. The gruesome murder has intensified concerns over the safety of Indians in America.
The tragedy reflects a broader trend that many in the Indian diaspora have been grappling with — growing hostility and personal insecurity, whether in workplaces or public spaces.
January 2025 – Washington, DC: Food delivery worker Koyyada Ravi Teja, 26, was shot at point-blank range while on duty on January 18. He died instantly.
February 2025 – Florida: Indian-origin nurse Lil Lal, 67, was brutally assaulted by psychiatric patient Steven Scantlebury, who shouted “Indians are bad” during the attack. She sustained facial disfigurement and risk of blindness. Scantlebury was charged with a hate crime and attempted second-degree murder.
March 2025 – Chino Hills, California: The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was defaced with graffiti bearing anti-India slogans such as “F— Modi and Hindustan” and “murdabad.” Authorities launched a hate-crime investigation.
March 2025 – Wisconsin: Indian student Praveen Kumar Gampa, 27, was shot dead near his residence on March 5 in a suspected robbery.
July 2025 – Chicago, Illinois: A 31-year-old Indian student was shot in the abdomen during an argument with a pedestrian on July 23 while inside his car. He was hospitalized in critical condition.
August 2025 – Greenwood, Indiana: The BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Temple was vandalized with anti-India graffiti on August 10. Community organizations condemned the attack, which authorities are treating as a hate crime.
September 2025 – California: On September 6, Kapil, a 26-year-old security guard from Haryana, was shot dead after confronting a man urinating outside his workplace.
September 2025 – Dallas, Texas: On September 10, Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, 50, a motel manager from Karnataka, was gruesomely beheaded by a co-worker during a dispute. The accused was arrested and charged with capital murder.
January 2024 – Hartford, Connecticut: Two students, Dinesh (22) and Nikesh (21), from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, were discovered dead under suspicious circumstances on January 15.
January 2024 – Illinois: Akul Dhawan, 18, a freshman at the University of Illinois, died of hypothermia on January 20 after being denied reentry into a campus club and failing to secure a rideshare. His father criticized campus police for failing to act quickly.
January 2024 – Purdue University, Indiana: Indian student Neel Acharya was reported missing by his mother and later found dead on January 28. The cause of death remains unknown.
February 2024 – Chicago, Illinois: Student Syed Mazahir Ali was assaulted and robbed by four armed men on February 4. He lost his phone in the incident.
February 2024 – Purdue, Indiana: PhD student Sameer Kamath, 23, was found dead in Crow’s Grove Nature Preserve on February 5. The cause of death is still unexplained.
February 2024 – Washington, DC: Dynamo Technologies co-founder Vivek Taneja, 41, died on February 10 after a street altercation in which he fell and hit his head.
March 2024 – St. Louis, Missouri: Renowned Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Amarnath Ghosh, 34, was shot dead on March 2.
March 2024 – Cleveland, Ohio: Master’s student Mohammed Abdul Arfath, 25, was kidnapped in early March, with ransom demands made. His body was later discovered, shocking the Indian community.
March 2024 – Boston, Massachusetts: Engineering student Paruchuri Abhijit, 20, was found dead in an abandoned car on campus on March 11.
April 2024 – Ohio: Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student, died in a tragic accident on April 6.
November 2024 – San Francisco, California: Suchir Balaji, 26, was discovered dead in his apartment on November 26 under unclear circumstances.
November 2024 – Chicago, Illinois: Student Sai Teja Nukarapu, 22, was shot dead during a store robbery on November 29 despite complying with the assailants.
January 2023 – Chicago, Illinois: Just ten days after arriving in the US, 23-year-old student Nandapu Devansh was killed in a robbery on January 24. Another student from Hyderabad was also injured.
January 2023 – Seattle, Washington: Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was fatally struck by a speeding police vehicle on January 23. Outrage grew after body-cam footage revealed an officer laughing about the incident.
April 2023 – Columbus, Ohio: Saiesh Veera, 24, was shot dead during an armed robbery at a gas station where he worked. His death came just days before he was set to graduate with a master’s degree.
November 2023 – Cincinnati, Ohio: PhD student Aaditya Adlakha, 26, was found critically wounded inside his car with multiple bullet holes after it crashed. He succumbed to injuries on November 11. Police have not made arrests.
April 2022 – Richmond Hill, Queens, New York: Two Sikh men were attacked and robbed in separate incidents, during which their turbans were forcibly removed. In another case, 70-year-old Nirmal Singh was seriously injured in an assault. These cases were investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force.
October 2022 – West Lafayette, Indiana: Varun Manish Chheda, a 20-year-old Purdue University student, was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck by his roommate Ji Min Sha. Authorities described the attack as unprovoked. Sha, an international student from Korea, was arrested and charged with murder.
June 2022 – Cincinnati, Ohio: Sai Charan Nakka, 25, a University of Cincinnati graduate, was found dead from a gunshot wound on June 19. The investigation remains open.
A recurring issue is that many such incidents are not officially classified as hate crimes. This underreporting obscures the full scale of the violence and makes it harder to address.
Beyond the physical violence, the psychological impact on Indian communities is profound. Families report living with fear, grief, and vulnerability, while demanding stronger measures to ensure justice and accountability.
