The Indian Panorama

Tag: GoFundMe

  • Australia’s ‘Bondi Hero’ handed millions collected from fundraising

    Australia’s ‘Bondi Hero’ handed millions collected from fundraising

    SYDNEY (TIP): A man credited with saving lives by wrestling a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a ‍mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach received a cheque for more than ​A$2.5 million ($1.65 million) on Friday , December 19, 2025, after tens of thousands ‌of people contributed to a donation website, says a Reuters report.

    Ahmed al Ahmed ​hid behind parked cars before charging at one of the gunmen from behind, seizing his weapon and knocking him to the ground. Mr. Ahmed suffered gunshot wounds after apparently being fired on by a second perpetrator and remains in hospital after undergoing surgery.

    The Muslim father-of-two was presented with an oversized cheque at his ​St. George hospital bed by Zachery Dereniowski, a social media ⁠influencer and co-organizer of the GoFundMe page, videos posted online showed. More than 43,000 people worldwide contributed to the fundraising, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman who ​gave A$99,999 (₹90,02,874) and shared the ⁠fundraiser on his X account. Australia’s Prime Minister and the State Premier have visited Mr. Ahmed in hospital to praise his bravery.

    When handed the cheque, Mr. Ahmed asks, “I deserve it?” to which Mr. Dereniowski says, “Every ‌penny”, the video shows.

    When asked what he would say ‌to the people who donated, Mr. Ahmed said: “To stand with each other, all human beings. And forget everything bad… ‍and keep going to save life.”

    “When I saved the people, I [did it] from the heart because it was a nice day, ‍everyone was enjoying and celebrating with their kids; women, men, teenagers, all. Everyone was happy, and they deserve to enjoy,” Mr. Ahmed said, raising his uninjured fist in the air. “This country [is the] best country in the world. But we’re not going to stand and keep watching. Enough is enough. God protect Australia. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.”

    The tobacco store owner did not say what ⁠he planned to do with the money. Mr. Ahmed, 43, left his hometown in Syria’s northwest province of Idlib nearly ​20 years ago to seek work in Australia.

    Fifteen people were killed, and dozens were wounded on Sunday (December 14, 2025) after two gunmen opened fire at people celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, at the famous Bondi Beach. Authorities allege a 50-year-old father, who was shot dead by police, and his 24-year-old son, who was ⁠critically wounded, carried out the attack.
    (Source: Reuters)

  • 5-year-old Indian -origin girl and her mother die in car crash in Oregon

    5-year-old Indian -origin girl and her mother die in car crash in Oregon

    HUBBARD, OREGON (TIP): A horrific car accident on Saturday, March 30th, claimed the life of a young child and ultimately led to the passing of the mother, leaving a family shattered and in desperate need of support. Naresh Babu Kamatham and his family were struck by tragedy after they were involved in a collision near the Woodburn area at Highway 211 and S Meridian Rd in Hubbard, Oregon.
    The collision resulted in the tragic loss of five-year-old Hanika Kamatham and the critical injury of her mother, Geethanjali Kamatham, aged 32. Geethanjali succumbed to her injuries, leaving behind a devastated family and community. The family’s son, Braman, is currently undergoing surgery for a broken leg, while Naresh Kamatham himself survived the accident but sustained injuries including broken ribs and a fractured shoulder.
    The Kamatham family’s journey that day was intended to celebrate Geethanjali’s birthday at the Tulip festival, but instead, it ended in tragedy, according to a GoFundMe account set up for the family.

    Geethanjali had to be airlifted to Legacy Hospitals in Portland, where she fought for her life in the Intensive Care Unit. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, her injuries proved fatal, leaving the family grappling with immense grief and financial strain.
    According to GoFundMe, Naresh was the sole provider for the family, after Geetanjali lost her job recently.

  • GoFundMe campaign launched for slain Indian couple’s daughter found dead in New Jersey

    GoFundMe campaign launched for slain Indian couple’s daughter found dead in New Jersey

    NEW JERSEY (TIP): Friends of an Indian couple found dead at their New Jersey home last week have started a GoFundMe campaign to help their surviving three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Viha Rudrawar. Bodies of the couple — identified as Balaji Rudrawar, 33, and Aarti B. Rudrawar, 31 — were found inside their North Arlington apartment in Bergen County, New Jersey Wednesday. Their daughter, who was found crying in the balcony, was unharmed.

    ‘Contribute to Viha’s future’ fundraiser has collected over $70, 000 in less than 24 hours of starting the campaign, according to its organizer Gobind Singh Nihalani.

    Nihalani said they were in the process of creating a Trust Fund for this money to be used for Viha’s well-being and her education.

    They were also working with child welfare to arrange the kid’s custody to her grandparents living in the temple town of Ambajogai in Maharashtra’s Beed district, about 300 miles from Mumbai.

    Rudrawar, an IT professional and his homemaker wife moved to the US in August 2015 after they got married in December 2014.

    To view the GoFundMe, please visit: https://gf.me/v/c/67xy/contribute-to-vihas-future.

    Balaji Rudrawar, working for Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd, and Aarti Rudrawar “were happily married and a couple of few words but many smiles,” wrote Nihalani.

    “In this immensely unfortunate moment, while we all get together to pray to the almighty to rest their souls in peace, we are also starting an effort to think for the future of the small child.”

    “While nobody can ever fulfill the void in Viha’s life, as friends and family, the least we can do is to come together and contribute our share towards the future of Viha,” Nihalani wrote.

    “No contribution is big or small – please do whatever you can to help Viha, as that will have some financial support for the future,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the North Arlington Police Department are continuing to investigate the deaths.

    Both Balaji and Aarti had suffered from multiple stab wounds, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. They believe Aarti Rudrawar died as a result of stab wounds inflicted by her husband, the prosecutor said Friday.

    Balaji Ruduawar “also died as a result of multiple stab wounds, but his manner of death is undetermined pending the completion of an autopsy and investigation,” the prosecutor said in a release.

    Investigators said they do not believe anyone else was involved in the deaths.

    North Arlington Police responded to the Garden Terrace apartment complex after receiving a 9-1-1 call from a neighbor reporting that she looked through the mail slot in the front door of and saw two people lying on the floor in the living room area, Musella said in a release.