Hyderabad student shot dead in Texas gas station robbery

Hyderabad: In a tragic incident, a city-based student pursuing his Master’s in the United States was shot dead during a robbery at a gas station in Denton, Texas, on Friday night.

The victim, 28-year-old Pole Chandrashekar from L.B. Nagar, Hyderabad, had completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in India before moving to the U.S. for higher studies.

He was enrolled in the Master’s programme in Data Analytics at the University of North Texas, Dallas.

Professional Journey

Chandrashekar had been working part-time as a Senior Data Analyst at GEICO since August 2024.

Earlier, he served as a Data Analyst with American Express in Chennai (2021–2023) and as a Programmer Analyst with Hitachi Energy in Bengaluru (2020–2021).

Incident at Gas Station

Police in Denton said Chandrashekar was working at a gas station during his spare time when robbers opened fire in an attempted hold-up. He was fatally injured at the scene.

Authorities are coordinating the repatriation of his body to Hyderabad.

Leaders express condolences

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep grief. “The news of Chandrashekar Pole’s death is deeply distressing. We pray for the peace of his soul and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. The government will provide full support to bring his body back home,” he said.

Former Minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao visited Chandrashekar’s family and urged swift action. “It is tragic that Chandrashekhar Pole, a Dalit student from L.B. Nagar, who went to Dallas for higher studies, died in a shooting by miscreants. We demand that the Telangana government expedite efforts to bring his mortal remains home,” he said.

Family and Community in shock

Chandrashekar’s untimely death has left his family and community devastated, highlighting the dangers faced by international students working part-time while pursuing education abroad.