NRI Pulse Staff Report
Los Angeles, CA, December 27, 2021: Friends and family gathered for a candlelight
vigil Sunday afternoon in Chatsworth, California to support the parents of two Indian-American
teens who were killed by a suspected drunk driver in a crash one week before
Christmas.
Arjit Reddy Chettupally (14) and Akshata Reddy Chettupally (Lucky) (16) died
after a driver rear-ended the family’s vehicle on Lassen Street near Oakdale,
according to police.
They were returning with their parents from a family friend’s place in Chatsworth around 10.45 pm when their car was hit by a 20-year-old driver under DUI. Their father Ram Chettupally is still in hospital, but in stable condition. Their mother Rajani was also injured in the crash.
“Until Saturday, December 19, the Chettupalli family was living the perfect American dream,” according to a GoFundMe fundraiser created for the family. “A hard-working immigrant, Ramachandra Reddy, got his green card last year after 16 years, and had just bought their home.”
“Arjit (14 years old) was declared dead on the
same day and Akshata (16 years old) was put on life-support. She fought hard
for a week but unfortunately, we lost her on Christmas day (12/25). The parents
are out of danger and are expected to recover physically. However, the
emotional trauma they are enduring is unimaginable.”
“Both the kids were extremely talented, focused,
and gifted. In addition to getting high GPAs, they earned numerous awards in
tennis, chess, karate, robotics. Both the kids also won presidential voluntary
service awards consecutively for three years.”
Akshata, a junior, was the school vice president at North Hollywood magnet school. She was trying to get into an Ivy league next year. Arjit was in the 8th grade at Lawrence Middle School in Chatsworth.
Both parents, Ram and Rajani, are very active in the community and volunteer for several organizations. Rajani volunteers as a teacher in Manabadi to teach kids Telugu.
