Indian tech entrepreneur dies by suicide after shooting wife and son dead in US

Harshavardhana S Kikkeri (57) and his wife Shwetha Panyam (44). (X/@cmani)

A 57-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur allegedly shot dead his wife and 14-year-old son and later died by suicide at his home in Washington, US, last week.

The incident, which was reported from Newcastle in Washington, took place on April 24.

The deceased are Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, 57, who was CEO of HoloWorld, a robotics company headquartered in Mysuru’s Vijayanagar Third Stage; Shwetha Panyam, 44, his wife and co-founder of HoloWorld; and their 14-year-old son. The couple’s younger son survived the incident, according to a report by the Indian Express.

News broadcasters at the scene reported seeing a child being escorted from the home and comforted by investigators. The King County Sheriff's Office has not yet released the identities of the children.

It is not immediately clear, said the cops, as to what the provocation was for the extreme act, according to a report by NDTV.

Kikkeri, who hailed from KR Pet Taluk of Mandya district, was the founder and CEO of HoloWorld, a robotics company headquartered in Mysuru. In 2017, he and Shwetha returned to India and co-founded HoloWorld. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company folded in 2022, and the tech entrepreneur returned to the US. He had also previously worked with Microsoft.

Further investigation is underway.