TOI correspondent from Washington: A 28-year-old Indian student from Telangana studying for an MBA has been shot dead in North Philadelphia over what investigators believe was a fake pizza delivery order. The killing has shocked the Indian community in the US amid concerns about the safety of immigrant workers and foreign students at a time of heated debate in the US about race, ethnicity and immigration. The victim, Anshul Kuncha, was shot in the back of his head shortly after midnight Friday after delivering a pizza to a unit of the Raymond Rosen Homes housing complex on Edgeley Street, which police later found vacant. Authorities say they have recovered surveillance video from the area and traced the phone number used to place the order, which is now the main focus of the investigation. No arrests have been announced. Kuncha, originally from Gundalpochampalli in Medchal-Malkajgiri district of Telangana, had been living in the US for many years. According to family members, he was pursuing an MBA at Temple University – some local reports said Drexel University, also in the Philly area – while also working to support himself. Reports indicate that he worked part-time delivering pizzas on weekends in addition to other employment. His family believes that the delivery was not a random robbery but a carefully planned ambush.“It was a trap,” his sister Tanvi told Indian media outlets, adding that the vacant address and circumstances suggested the criminals intended to lure them to this location. Family members have noted that it appears nothing was stolen, raising questions about the motive. Local police said the delivered pizzas were also untouched. The murder has sparked concern among people of Indian origin in the Philadelphia area and beyond. On social media and community forums, many people have questioned whether Kuncha may have been targeted because he was an immigrant. Others point to the absence of a clear robbery motive as cause for concern. Philadelphia police have not publicly identified a motive and have not classified the case as a hate crime. North Philadelphia, particularly the area around Raymond Rosen, is considered a high-crime area. In 2021, after Raymond Rosen was designated the primary site for the Violence Prevention Support Services Initiative, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a special grant to the Philadelphia Housing Association to install an elaborate security camera surveillance system specifically designed to prevent crime and track proactive incidents.The Indian Consulate in New York said it was working with local authorities and providing assistance to Kuncha’s family amid appeals to expedite the return of his body. Family members also expressed regret over sending him to America and urged the Indian public not to go that route. The case comes amid heightened concern within the Indian diaspora over a series of violent incidents involving Indian nationals in the US during the past two years. Many Indian-origin workers employed in convenience stores, motels, gas stations, liquor stores and delivery services – historically common occupations among Indian immigrants and students – have been killed during robberies or shootouts in various parts of the country. These jobs often involve working late at night and increase the risk of robbery. While many of those crimes were investigated as robberies rather than bias-motivated attacks, repeated incidents have contributed to a perception among some immigrants that they are increasingly unsafe. However, available national crime statistics do not show a widespread increase in anti-India hate crimes specifically, with even immigrants being targeted by right-wing extremists. Most appear to be robberies, workplace violence or crimes whose motives are unknown.Civil rights experts caution investigators against drawing conclusions before establishing a motive. At the same time, advocacy groups say immigrants and visible minorities often face harassment and violence amid rising cases of xenophobia in some states, particularly Texas.The case has also sparked online debate about public reactions to crimes involving immigrant victims. Some commentators criticized prominent figures, including Elon Musk, for remaining silent about Kuncha’s death while speaking out forcefully about other high-profile murders abroad, including the death of a British youth at the hands of a British-Sikh son of immigrants last year, which even attracted the attention of Vice President Jadeja. At present, investigators are focused on identifying the individuals who placed the delivery order and were captured in surveillance footage. Until arrests are made and evidence presented, the central question troubling Kuncha’s family, fellow students, and Philadelphia’s immigrant communities will remain unanswered: Why was a young man working to build a future in America was lured into an empty apartment and killed?