College Student Killed In Dorm Room- Roommate Arrested As Murder Suspect

A student was killed in a Purdue University residence hall. Their roommate is in custody. – NBC News

Purdue University police are investigating the homicide of a student at a residence hall overnight. A suspect, the roommate of the victim, is in custody.

Ji Min Sha, a junior cybersecurity major from Korea, called 911 to alert police about the death of Varun Manish Chheda, a 20-year-old senior from Indianapolis who was studying data science. However, Purdue University police later identified Ji Min Sha as the suspect of the murder and arrested him.

Following Chheda’s death, school officials said there was no threat to the community. There has been no information released about the motive of the homicide.

Purdue President Mitch Daniels called Chedda’s death “a tragic event” and said the school’s counseling and psychological services are providing support to students in need. Daniels assured everyone that the campus is safe, but said that a death on campus affects everyone deeply.

Sumeeth Guda, a senior studying mathematics and statistics at Purdue University, said he wasn’t close to Chheda but worked with him on a final group project during the spring 2022 semester. He remembered Chheda as a serious student who was determined to produce the best deliverable.