US: Indian-origin man dies after being assaulted on streets of Washington

An Indian-origin man died this week in Washington, United States after he got involved in a scuffle outside a restaurant and suffered life-threatening injuries.

The 41-year-old Indian-American executive Vivek Taneja, a resident ofVirginia, was at two sister Japanese restaurants along with the suspect on February 2, according to the police report. He was "knocked to the ground by the suspect and hit his head on the pavement", read the police report.

The incidentcomes amid a sudden increase in attacks and deaths of Indians and Indian-Americans in the United States.

Police hunt for the suspect

Taneja had left the restaurant at around 2 am local time and got involved in a skirmish on a nearby street, as per the police report. The specific nature of the dispute was, however, not specified.

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Also Read:Another Indian-origin student dies in United States in fifth such case this year

In the fight, the Indian-origin man lost consciousness and when the police arrived, they found he had suffered life-threatening injuries, after which he was rushed to a hospital.

On Wednesday (Feb 7), the man succumbed to the injuries in the hospital. The police have been searching for the suspect based on CCTV footage. Though the man is yet to be identified.

A reward of $25,000 has been announcedby the policeto anyone who providesinformation that would leadto the suspect's arrest and conviction.

Earlier this week, an Indian student Syed Mazahir Ali was attacked by robbers in Chicago and the video of him bleeding from his nose and mouth was shared on social media.

Ali, whose family resides in the Indian city of Hyderabad, was seen pleading for help after the attack in the video.

Five Indian-origin students have till now been reported dead in the United States this year.

Watch: Why are Indian students dying, being attacked in the US?

Indian-American student Sameer Kamath from Purdue University was found dead in a nature preserve.

Another 19-year-old student, Shreyas Reddy Beniger, who held an American passport, was found dead last week. The authorities ruled out any foul play.

Neel Acharya, another student of Purdue University, was found dead on the campus, hours after he was reported missing by his mother.

A 25-year-old student, Vivek Saini from Haryana, was hammered to death in Georgia's Lithonia by a homeless man on January 16.

Another Indian student, Akul Dhawan, was found dead outside the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in January.

(With inputs from agencies)