Assaulted PIO techie succumbs to injuries in US

A 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive died after suffering life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in the American capital here, the seventh death of an Indian or Indian-American in the country in recent months. The victim, identified as Vivek Taneja, a resident of Alexandria, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, was attacked on February 2 in the 1100 block of 15th Street NW, which is seven blocks away from the White House. The police reached the assault scene at 2 am and found that he was suffering from life-threatening injuries as a result of the assault. He was transported to a trauma centre unconscious and with severe head injuries. “On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead,” said the Metropolitan Police, Washington DC in a statement on Friday. The picture of the suspect captured by a surveillance camera has been released by the police, which has offered an award of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information and leads to his arrest. In its report, the police said Vivek Taneja was knocked to the ground by the suspect and hit his head on the pavement.