HYDERABAD: A horrific incident unfolded in the town of New Castle, Washington, where an Indian techie allegedly shot and killed his wife and teenage son before dying by suicide. The man, identified as 57-year-old Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, was found dead along with his wife Shwetha Panyam (44) and their 14-year-old son Dhruva. Their younger son was not at home at the time of the incident and survived.
The triple murder-suicide reportedly took place on April 24, but came to light only later. Police have registered a case and begun an investigation, though the motive behind the killings remains unclear.
Originally from KR Pet taluk in Mandya district of Karnataka, Harshavardhana was a robotics expert who had previously worked with Microsoft in the United States. In 2017, he returned to India with his wife and founded a robotics company named Holoworld in Mysuru. Shwetha co-founded the firm and played an active role in its operations.
Holoworld aimed to pioneer the concept of a “Skill Metaverse”—a vision to enhance human and robotic capabilities and build one of the largest skill-based metaverse platforms globally. The couple’s ambitious venture, however, came to a halt in 2022 due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading Harshavardhana to return to the US.
Prior to the pandemic, Harshavardhana had also reportedly met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to propose the deployment of robots for border defence applications in India.
The shocking tragedy has left the local community and tech circles in disbelief. Police continue to investigate what could have led to the fatal decision.
