Shivank Avasthi was found with a gunshot wound on Tuesday, in what the police said was Toronto’s 41st homicide case this year.
A 20-year-old Indian student was shot dead near the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus, with the police seeking the public’s help to arrest the accused.
Shivank Avasthi, a doctoral student, was found with a gunshot wound on Tuesday, in what the police said was Toronto’s 41st homicide case this year.
“On Tuesday, at approximately 3:34 pm, police responded to a call for an unknown trouble in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area. Officers responded to reports of a person with serious injuries. Officers located a male victim with a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased on scene,” the police said in an official statement on Wednesday.
“The suspect(s) fled the area prior to police arrival,” the statement said.
News Release – Homicide Investigation, Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road, Victim: Shivank Avasthi, 20, Image Releasedhttps://t.co/WdkKqp4pGe pic.twitter.com/XF6NAYJwgX
— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) December 24, 2025
Anyone with information was asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.
India On Shivank Avasthi’s Murder
India expressed “deep anguish” over the “tragic” death of Shivank Avasthi.
In a statement on X, the Consulate General of India in Toronto said it was providing necessary assistance to his family.
“We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus,” it said.
We express deep anguish over the tragic death of a young Indian doctoral student, Mr. Shivank Avasthi, in a fatal shooting incident near the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending…
— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) December 25, 2025
“The Consulate is in touch with the bereaved family during this difficult time, and is extending all necessary assistance in close coordination with the local authorities,” it added.
Last week, a 30-year-old Indian woman, Himanshi Khurana, was murdered in Toronto.
The police located her body in a residence on Saturday, a day after a missing report in the Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street W. area was filed.
The police also issued a warrant for 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori, the suspect in the case, for first-degree murder. Ghafoori is also a resident of Toronto, the police said.
Ghafoori and Khurana were reportedly in an “intimate partner relationship”.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto expressed shock over Khurana’s death and said it was providing all possible help to her family.
