Oct. 5 (UPI) — A Purdue University student died in his dorm room early Wednesday and his roommate is being held by the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Jail, school officials said.
County Coroner Carrie Costello said Varun Manish Chheda, 20, of Indianapolis was found dead in his room at McCutcheon Hall. His roommate, who was not named, was taken into custody shortly after midnight.
“This is as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus and our hearts and thoughts go out to all of those affected by this terrible event,” said Purdue University President Mitch Daniels in a statement.
He said Purdue University Police Department is conducting an investigation of this incident and no other details have been given.
“I assure you that the safety and security of our students is the single highest priority on our campus,” Daniels said. “Purdue is an extraordinarily safe place on any given day, and compared with cities of Purdue’s population, we experience a tiny fraction of violent and property crime that occurs elsewhere.”
Purdue student Andrew Boldt was killed in the school’s Electrical Engineering building on Jan. 14, 2014. Cody Cousin pleaded guilty in connection with the death but killed himself in prison later the same year.
While the case remained under investigation, officials said it was the suspect who contacted police.
