Two murders within days: Who were the two Indians killed in Canada?

In what sparked concern among the Indian community, two Indian nationals were murdered in Canada within days. According to police, there is no connection between the two killings. The latest case involved the death of Indian student Shivank Avasthi, who was fatally shot near the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus. In the earlier incident, an Indian woman, Himanshi Khurana, was killed in a suspected case of intimate partner violence.

Who was the Indian student murdered near Toronto campus?

According to Toronto Police, the person identified as Shivank Avasthi was an Indian doctoral student. He was shot dead in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area. Police said they received information about the shooting, following which they reached the spot and found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining a gunshot wound, the Toronto Sun reported. Officials said the suspects fled the spot, while the campus was locked down for investigation.

The killing is Toronto’s 41st homicide of the year and marks the second death of an Indian due to a crime in the city in a matter of days, the Toronto Sun reported. The Consulate General of India in Toronto said it was in contact with the victim’s family and assured assistance.

"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,” the Consulate General of India in Canada’s Toronto said in a statement on X.

Who was the 30-year-old Indian woman murdered in Toronto?

In an earlier case last week, a 30-year-old Indian woman, Himanshi Khurana, was found murdered in Toronto. The police had released a picture of the victim, and it matched one shared on social media by a user with the same name. The user described herself as a Toronto-based digital creator on her profile. Confirming the murder, Canadian law enforcement authorities issued a search warrant for 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori, charging him with first-degree murder.

According to the Toronto Police Service, on December 19, officers received a missing person call at night in the Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street West areas. Acting on the call, the police launched an investigation and found the woman dead inside a residence at around 6:30 am on December 20. Police said the suspect and the victim allegedly knew each other.

“Officers located the missing female deceased inside a residence,” on Saturday morning, a Toronto Police release said. The death was later determined to be a homicide, after which the service’s Homicide Unit assumed responsibility for the investigation.