Purdue student killed in dorm; roommate held in ‘tragic’ death

A college student is in custody and is suspected of killing his roommate in their Purdue University residence hall, campus officials say.

The victim was identified by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office as 20-year-old Varun Manish Chheda.

Police received a call around 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5, about the homicide in McCutcheon Hall, according to WANE. It was the victim’s roommate who made the call, Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said.

Daniels, the former governor of Indiana, said the suspect is in police custody. He has not been identified.

“This is as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus and our hearts and thoughts go out to all those affected by this terrible event,” Daniels said in a statement.

Campus officials did not reveal how Chheda was killed. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the coroner.

Chheda attended Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, where he was a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. He was also a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in 2020.

Purdue is in West Lafayette, about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis.