Nigerian arrested, charged with murder of Indian student in Canada

By John Ogunsemore

Police in the Canadian city of Toronto have arrested and charged a Nigerian, Babatunde Afuwape, over the alleged murder of a 20-year-old Indian student, Shivank Avasthi.

The Toronto Police confirmed his arrest in an X post on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old Afuwape, of Toronto, was said to have committed the act on December 23, 2025.

The police shared a mugshot of Afuwape and a security image from the day of the incident appearing to place the accused near the scene.

“We believe more people may have interacted with the accused on that day.

“If you have any information, please come forward.

“Even small details can be significant,” the X post reads.

The Toronto Police revealed more details about the case in a Wednesday news conference, details of which were posted on their website.

According to the police, the victim was a University of Toronto student who was gunned down near the Scarborough campus.

Avasthi was pronounced dead at the scene after officers responded to reports of a person with serious injuries.

Afuwape was charged with first degree murder.

Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe said, “This was a deeply tragic case.

“Shivank was a third year U of T student from India. He was young, bright and had his whole life ahead of him. Our thoughts remain with his family, friends, classmates and everyone affected by his loss.”

She said officers of the Homicide & Missing Persons Unit worked tirelessly to identify and locate the person responsible for the senseless act of violence.

McCabe said, “Based on our investigation, we do not believe the accused and the victim were known to each other.

“It is our belief that this was a planned and deliberate act by the accused, and we have not yet found a motive for why Shivank was targeted.

“We recognise that this incident caused a great deal of fear and concern to students, staff and members of the surrounding community, particularly those who regularly use the trail. We want to reassure the community that the person responsible for this is in our custody.”