6 Indians die in Murder-suicide in Los Angeles

Associated Press is reporting that 45 year old Karthik Rajaram gunned down his wife Subasri(39), his sons Krishna - 19 year old college student, Ganesha(12), Arjuna(7). He also gunned down and his mother-in-law and then committed suicide. This tragedy took place in a gated community in the Porter Ranch area of the San Fernando Valley.

Deputy Chief Michel Moore told reporters outside the home that

investigators found two suicide letters and a will, and determined that Rajaram held a master's degree and once worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a major accounting firm, and for Sony Pictures.

But he had been unemployed for several months and his finances had reached a crisis point in recent weeks.

"This is a perfect American family behind me that has absolutely been destroyed, apparently because of a man who just got stuck in a rabbit hole, if you will, of absolute despair," Moore said. "It is critical to step up and recognize we are in some pretty troubled times."

Rajaram wrote in his suicide letter that he felt he had two options — to kill himself or to kill himself and his family — and decided the second option was more honorable, Moore said.

What is so honorable in this? Krishna, Ganesha, Arjuna, their lives being snuffed out at such a young age....one will never know what they could have achieved in their lives or the potential they had. Sad...very sad...

Varsha Sabhnani the torturer gets 11 years in Prison

New York millionaire Varsha Sabhnani was handed down a 11 year sentence today for keeping two Indonesian women as slaves, forcing them to work up to 20 hours a day for years after confiscating their passports.

Indian-born Varsha Sabhnani and her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, were convicted in December of forced labor, peonage, harboring aliens, document servitude and conspiracy in what prosecutors called "a case of modern-day slavery. (more at reuters)

Hey Varsha! guess what you have topped the "Google Hot Trends" list for this hour. Here's a snapshot from my Google Trends page (Note: By the time, you click Varsha might be no longer on the list as it is updated hourly).

More Arrests made in Brij and Aasha Chabbra Murder case

Detroit Free Press is reporting that FBI agents have arrested two more individuals in connection with the murder of Brij and Aasha Chhabra.

FBI agents took Narayan Thadani and Douglas Tabor into custody in the Houston, Texas area on federal charges of conspiracy to commit murder in conjunction with the slayings of Birj Mohan Chhabra, 65, and his wife, Aasha Chhabra, 56. The couple was found dead Tuesday inside their Troy home.

Thadani and Tabor are awaiting an appearance before a federal magistrate in Houston. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit and Detroit FBI Office anticipate their extradition to Detroit to face federal charges in this case in the near future.

Now a total of 4 individuals are in custody in the brutal killing of Brij and Aasha Chhabra. Miguel Angel Servando and Nelson Mendoza who were arrested earlier in Michigan and now Narayan Thadani and Douglas Tabor who were taken into custody in Houston.

Note:
Aasha Chhabra had filed a lawsuit in 2006 against Thadani, a life-long friend in Texas, whom she had hired to manage her assets in India. The couple accused the man of mismanaging their assets, according to court documents. The case still is pending.

Indian American Couple murdered in their Troy, MI home

This is a real tragedy!. Brij Mohan Chhabra, 65 and his wife Aasha, 55 were shot to death in their home located on Delaware Street in Troy, MI. Two suspects have been arrested and will be arraigned on Thursday, March 13th.

According to Troy Police

To our knowledge the couple did not know the suspects. But we think the suspects sought them out in their home. We don’t know the motive, but we know this was not a random crime.

Observer and Eccentric Newspapers report

Madan Kaura, a longtime fellow yoga teacher of Brij Chhabra at Troy’s Bharatiya Temple, said Chhabra was devoted to a yoga movement that aims to achieve self-realization.

"He was a very special person," said Kaura, of Farmington Hills. "He was a spiritual person."

He said Chhabra enjoyed going to the Detroit Center of Self-Realization Fellowship ranch near Gaylord where retreats, classes and meditation are held. "He used to go there often."

"He was totally clean in every way," he said of his friend’s conduct and life.

Neighbors, meanwhile, said that Aasha Chhabra had multiple sclerosis and so could not leave the house much. She had caregivers come in during the day to take care of her.

Our Deepest Condolences to the friends and family of Brij and Aasha Chhabra.

Tragedy at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam (both from India) enrolled in a PhD program at LSU, Baton Rouge, LA were shot dead inside Allam's apartment during home invasion robbery. The bodies were found inside Allam's apartment.

The Associated Press is reporting that Allam's pregnant wife found the bodies and called 911. (via)

Our Deepest condolences to the families.

Indian Professor and an Indian Student killed in Virginia Tech Massacre

IN MEMORIAM - VIRGINIA TECH
Indian Professor GV Loganatghan - age 51 was one of the 33 killed at Virginia Tech.
Quoting Times of India:

Loganathan is from Tamil Nadu and completed his BE from Madras University. He later did his MS from IIT Kanpur and PhD from Purdue University.

Loganathan was the professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He had received the Dean’s award for Excellence in Teaching in 1998.

Minal Panchal a 26 year old Indian Student was also one of the 33 killed at Virginia Tech.
Quoting NDTV.com

Called 'Minu' by her friends, 26-year-old Minal Panchal went to Our Lady Of Remedy High School in Mumbai and later graduated from the Rizvi college of Architecture in Bandra, Mumbai.

She was very sensitive student, very hardwoking and sincere. But most importantly, she was a highly cultural and refined person; very soft spoken and very sensitive.

She was a very promising young architect. She was concerned by humane issues, cultural values and one of the rare students who was committed to sustainable architecture. We'll really miss her tremendously, said Professor Chauhan, Principal, Rizvi College of Architecture.