A 21-year-old Houston Community College student was found shot to death in her apartment following an armed robbery, according to police officials. Authorities have arrested a suspect and taken him into custody in connection with the crime.
Muna Pandey, a native of Nepal, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in her southwest Houston apartment around 5:30 pm on August 26, according to Houston police.
Apartment complex staff informed authorities that they received an anonymous tip about a body inside Pandey’s apartment before calling 911. Paramedics arrived and pronounced Pandey dead at the scene.
Police release suspect’s photo
Police released a surveillance image of a man spotted leaving Pandey’s apartment on August 24, following what was reported as an armed robbery. Subsequent investigation identified the man as Bobby Sinh Shah, 52.
Shah was arrested on August 28 during a traffic stop in northwest Houston and is now being held in Harris County Jail on a capital murder charge.
Fundraiser to cover funeral expenses
Pandey had moved to Houston from Nepal in 2021, as noted by a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for her.
Drona Gautam from the Nepalese Association of Houston revealed that Pandey’s mother had been attempting to contact her for days before the body was discovered, according to a New York Post report.
Gautam is working with the Nepal Consulate to assist in making travel arrangements for Pandey’s mother, who is deeply distressed by the loss of her only child. As of August 29, the fundraiser to cover funeral expenses and bring Pandey’s mother to Houston had raised over $14,000.