It was just three months ago that 21-year-old Kartik Vasudev left for Canada to pursue his dream of getting higher education and work in digital marketing. But fate had other plans. Kartik was shot dead by an unidentified man at the entrance of a subway station in Canada while he was on his way to work on Thursday, according to police.

He received medical attention from an off-duty paramedic and was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the Toronto Police Service said in a statement. Kartik's father Jitesh Vasudev and mother Pooja remembered how their child had charted out his journey to Canada something he had been planning and researching since clearing his class 10.

Kartik had left for Canada on January 4 this year to pursue higher education. He had a lot of dreams and used to say he would go to Canada to fulfil all dreams, his mother Pooja told PTI at their home here. Kartik had enrolled at the Seneca College in Toronto and his offline classes were yet to begin. He had been studying online till now, she said. Right after completing Class 10, he shared with us that he wanted to go to Canada. He was a good student. He scored very good marks in classes 10 and 12, and even during graduation from Delhi, Jitesh Vasudev, who works in a multinational company in Noida, told PTI.

He had been researching everything related to Canada for the last three years and took IELTs also. He wanted to work in digital marketing in future. He had been working for an Instagram account also. He was good at his work, he said. He said owing to Kartik's inclination and passion to follow his dreams, the family, which lives in the Rajendra Nagar area of Ghaziabad, near Delhi, had also supported him in pursuing his dreams abroad.

He was supposed to go to Canada in December last year. The flight tickets had been booked but the visa was not arranged. The money was wasted. His visa came in a few days later and once again flight tickets were booked and he finally went on January 4, the father said. He said the family is not very rich but he assured Kartik of supporting him financially.

That's why we were wonderstruck when he told us that he wanted to work part-time. But he insisted that a lot of students there do it. He worked at Burritos (a Mexican restaurant), Jitesh Vasudev said. It was a one-and-a-half hour journey from his residence. He would take a bus, then a metro and then again a bus to reach his work place, he said.

He had joined work just around a fortnight ago but according to the work system there, he was paid after two weeks. Just a few days ago he had got his first salary. He wanted to buy an iPhone with it and he did. He was very happy, the father said. The family said it was the first time Kartik was living away from his family.

His mother said Kartik never had a problem with anyone nor did he talk of any trouble to him in Canada. He was a sweet child, never raised his voice. His manager at work also appreciated him, she said.

Now the distraught family members urged the government to help arrange visas for them to travel to Toronto and ensure that the killer is brought to justice.

I do not know what is happening... We want the truth to come out at the earliest so we can know what happened with our child and why he was shot dead, Jitesh Vasudev, the father of 21-year-old Kartik Vasudev, said. He said they had got information about the incident around 5 AM (IST) on Friday and it was confirmed at around 11 PM.

It has been over 48 hours but the family, which lives in Rajendra Nagar area of Ghaziabad, bordering the national capital, is yet to hear from government officials for any assistance in India as well as Canada, he said. I have not received any message or call from any authority. There was a tweet from Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar sir to which I even replied but there has been no follow-up.

"From Canada, we got one email from an investigation official of my son's case who sought our permission for sharing his pictures with the media there. We are not being informed anything, Jitesh Vasudev told PTI. Vasudev, who works in an MNC in Noida, said the Canadian official did not tell him anything more about the situation and it was only after some insistence that he was told that it would take six to eight days for the body to be repatriated to India after due procedures through the Indian consulate there.

We are unaware of the investigation which is going on. They (Canadian authorities) have not asked us anything. Neither did they ask anything from Kartik's cousin who lives in Canada. I spoke to Kartik's work manager yesterday (Friday), the police had approached him and sought some information from him about Kartik, he said.

We urge the Indian government to help us with the visa for the family to travel immediately to Canada so that we can see what investigation is underway there. "The body will come here but they may try to suppress the case, we do not want that. The body should be brought back soon and the third demand is that the culprit should be arrested at the earliest, Kartik's father said here.

The Indian government should put some pressure on the Canadian government so that justice is done in the case and the culprit is arrested. We want to know the motive of the killing, he told PTI. Citing some initial media reports from Canada, Vasudev claimed a perspective was being created that Kartik was killed due to a personal problem with the shooter in order to prevent damage to the image of Toronto city.

We have been demanding footage of the incident since starting so that the truth can come out. We want the truth to come out at the earliest so we can know what happened with our child and why he was shot dead, Kartik's father said. His mother Pooja Vasudev said Kartik never had a problem with anyone nor did he talk of facing any trouble in Canada.

He was a sweet child, never raised his voice. His manager at work also appreciated him, she said as her younger son Parth consoled her. I want justice for my son. What has happened with my child should not happen with anyone else. People go there with hopes and dreams but look at what has happened. It's supposed to be such a safe city, she said.