The horrific tale of the Indian techie in US who killed wife, son and then died by suicide

In a shocking case from the United States, an Indian tech entrepreneur is believed to have shot and killed his wife and one of his sons before taking his own life.

Harshavardhana S Kikkeri, the CEO of HoloWorld — a robotics firm headquartered in Mysuru — was found dead inside his home in the US, along with his wife, Shwetha Panyam, 44, and their 14-year-old son, identified as Dhruva Kikkeri, on April 24, according to the Seattle Times.

The couple’s younger child, a seven-year-old boy, was the only one from the family who survived, as he wasn’t home at the time of the tragic incident.

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Once celebrated for his contributions to robotics and tech innovation, Kikkeri’s story ended in tragedy, leaving behind a devastated family and a trail of questions that are yet to be answered. Here’s what we know so far.

Who was Harshavardhana Kikkeri?

As reported by Deccan Herald, Harshavardhana S Kikkeri hailed from KR Pet Taluk in Mandya, Karnataka. He pursued his education in Mysuru before heading to the United States, where he completed a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University.

A specialist in robotics, Kikkeri had also worked with Microsoft earlier in his career.

In 2017, he returned to India and, along with his wife Shwetha Panyam, co-founded HoloWorld. Just a year later, he gained attention for inventing the HoloSuit, an AI-powered full-body motion capture suit that functioned as a virtual trainer.

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The suit had applications across multiple sectors — from sports and education to healthcare and its products were exported to several countries, including the US, UK, and Israel. Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was their brand ambassador, as per information available on the company’s website.  

At the peak of his professional success, Kikkeri even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pitch the use of robotic solutions for strengthening border security, reports the Indian Express. In 2022, he and his family relocated back to the US.

According to a TEDx Talk description on YouTube, Kikkeri had received multiple honours, including a Gold Star from Microsoft, an Excellence Award from Infosys, and the Bharat Petroleum Scholarship. The video description claimed he held 44 international patents spanning the US, Europe, China, and Japan, and had also won several chess tournaments.

He was also an active member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) community and often spoke on topics related to innovation and robotics.

Despite the promising start, HoloWorld eventually shut down in 2022. However, its social media presence remained active on social media until November 2023.

How Kikkeri’s life took a dark turn  

On the evening of April 24, authorities responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at the Kirkkeri family’s townhouse on 129th Place Southeast, in Newcastle, Washington state.

Upon arrival, deputies discovered blood on a window and a bullet in the street along with the bodies of Harshavardhana Kikkeri, his wife Shwetha, and their 14-year-old son, Dhruva Kikkeri. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Shwetha and Dhruva died from gunshot wounds.

Police have not revealed the motive behind the crime and refused to comment on whether it was a case of murder-suicide. However, the medical examiner’s office classified Shwetha and Dhruva’s deaths as homicides and stated that Harshavardhana died by suicide, according to _Seattle Times. T_he couple’s younger son, 7, is the only survivor.

Neighbours said the family of four was friendly but kept to themselves. An investigation is underway, said the police.

With input from agencies