Gurdeep Singh's family was told that the attackers had come to rob him. (Photo by special arrangement)A 28-year-old man from Punjab’s Kapurthala district was shot dead in the United States on Saturday while reportedly on his way to deliver a pizza, leaving behind a debt-ridden family that had borrowed lakhs of rupees to send him abroad hoping to improve its financial condition.Gurdeep Singh, who hailed from Jabbowal village near Begowal in Kapurthala, went to the US around 10 years ago and worked as a pizza delivery worker in New York for several years.The family said Gurdeep’s cousin Sahil, who lived with him in the US, informed it of the incident after receiving information from pizza company officials.“Sahil told us that Gurdeep was attacked by armed assailants while he was going to deliver a pizza. He was taken to hospital with injuries but could not survive,” said a family source.His father Pyara Lal said the family was poor and had borrowed around Rs 30 lakh to send Gurdeep to the US. The family survives on daily-wage labour and owns no agricultural land.“We had taken a huge loan to send him abroad, and even after all these years, the debt has not been fully repaid,” he said.Pyara Lal said Gurdeep was going to deliver a pizza when he was surrounded by some people. The family was told that the attackers had come to rob him and shot him when they were unable to loot him.Story continues below this adHis uncle Daler Chand said Gurdeep was unmarried and was expected to visit the family next year.Also Read | Telangana man shot dead in ‘fake pizza delivery trap’ in PhiladelphiaGurdeep has a brother, who lives in the village and takes care of the family.Family’s appeal to central and state governmentsThe family has appealed to the state and Union governments to provide assistance in bringing Gurdeep’s body back to India at the earliest. They have also sought the intervention of the authorities to coordinate with the US administration, ensure a fair investigation into the killing, arrest those responsible, and ensure they are punished.North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) executive director Satnam Singh Chahal demanded justice for Gurdeep.Story continues below this adChahal said the exact motive behind his murder should be brought out and that the Incident should not be seen as an isolated one. He said the Indian diaspora was facing threats, extortion, and violence in the US.