A 24-year-old Indian National named Robinpreet Singh has unexpectedly passed away in Auckland, leaving the wider Kiwi Indian community in shock and grief.
He was found unresponsive at his Papatoetoe home by his landlord on Sunday morning, who immediately called emergency services.
Singh, a migrant worker hails from Tarn Taran in Amritsar, Punjab, came to New Zealand in 2017. He came to New Zealand on a student visa and did complete his business studies at Marsden Technical institute.
Speaking with Indian Weekender about the same, Robinpreet's close friend Simran Gill said, "I am still in shock with Robinpreet's death. He was a healthy 24-year-old. He came back from work yesterday and went to sleep like any other day.
On Sunday morning, when he did not come out of his room, the family he was staying with as a paying guest went into his room to check and found him dead. The ambulance was called and he has since been taken away. The postmortem of the body will be taking place because the cause of death has yet not been determined."
Talking about Robinpreet, an emotional Gil said, "He was a very jolly person who was always eager to help others. He believed in living life to the fullest. I don't know how God can be so cruel. I only have his memories now."
The victim's family in India has been duly informed as there is no other next of kin living in New Zealand.
Robinpreet's famiily which includes his parents and elder sister are all in a state of shock. While his father Kulwant Singh works for the Punjab Police, his mother Sarabjit Kaur is a homemaker. "Robinpreet's family is in a state of shock after getting the news that he is no more," said Gill.
Gill further revealed that they are planning to repatriate Robinpreet's body to India. "We are in the process of getting things sorted to repatriate his body back to Amritsar. We will also be arranging a memorial service for our friend Robinpreet to bid a final goodbye to him,"said Gill.
The Indian Consulate here in Auckland when approached, stated that they were aware of this sad incident and were providing all necessary support.