Silence at Kompally Home as Hyderabad-Origin Family of Four Dies in Tragic US Road Accident

Hyderabad: A day after four members of a family, having its roots in Hyderabad, were killed in a road accident in the United States, silence hung over their parents’ house in Kompally. Ravi and Anitha, the parents of Tejaswini, who is one of the deceased, rushed to the US early Tuesday morning.

The entire apartment complex is owned by Tejaswini’s parents, with several flats rented out. The local police were to carry out DNA tests to identify the remains of the victims of the crash, that occurred between Atlanta and Dallas. The family was returning home after a vacation when a lorry reportedly speeding down the wrong way crashed into the car, near Greene County, triggering a fire.

The victims — Sri Venkata Bejagum, Tejaswini Cholleti, and their five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter – were reportedly burnt to death.

“Just last year, the house was full of laughter during Tejaswini’s brother’s wedding,” recalled a tenant, Prashant Neelam. “Her parents were so proud. They had returned from the US then, and it was a time of joy. Now, only their mortal remains remain. Hope no parent ever has to face something like this.”

The deceased family, who had moved to the US three years ago, previously lived in Trimulgherry. Both Sri Venkata and Tejaswini were working as software engineers. While Venkata’s parents and Tejaswini’s brother had also recently relocated to the US, the family had been living in Dallas.

Neighbours said that identification was possible through DNA samples and a partially burnt ID card found near the boy. “Only the school’s name on the card survived the fire, which was used by the police to identify the boy,” a tenant said.

On July 4, the family of six, including Venkata’s parents, had travelled to Atlanta to visit his sister, Deepika. A few days later, the parents stayed back, and the others left for Dallas. They never made it home.