In May, a homicide occurred in the Niagara region of Ontario, and police have now identified the body of a 23-year-old woman found in a home in St. Catharines. Canadian female international student murdered in her home; family devastated On May 15, police received a report that someone was unresponsive near Lakeside Road and Lake Street. Upon arrival, officers found 23-year-old Vidhi Kalpeshkumar Megha dead in a residence.
Niagara Regional Police confirmed Mega’s identity, which they had not previously released. On May 19, police announced the arrest of 40-year-old St. Catharines resident Joshua St. Omer and charged him with second-degree murder of Mega. Police said 23-year-old Mega was found dead at around 4:15 p.m. in a residence near Lake Street and Lakeside Road, and a man inside the house was also seriously injured.
Canadian female international student murdered in her home; family devastated (NDTV) Police initially said on May 15 that a man was taken to the hospital and was believed to have no life-threatening injuries. The Indian Consulate General in Canada stated on X website: “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and mourn this tragedy.
The Consulate has contacted the families in India and Canada, as well as the funeral home, and will provide all support and assistance to the families, including the repatriation of the remains to India.” The statement said she was an international student. Niagara police said they had notified Mega’s family and investigators had determined the violence to be an isolated incident that posed no ongoing threat to public safety. Soida stated that the notification process becomes more complex and time-consuming in homicides involving foreign citizens.
“For foreign citizens, certain procedures must be followed. This involves agencies outside of the Niagara Police Department, which need to be notified in advance, and then these notifications must be issued through federal agencies, including Interpol. So, unfortunately, it takes longer than anyone would like. Once we were able to notify the deceased’s family, we immediately initiated the procedure.”
Indian student Vidi Mega was murdered in St. Catharines, Canada on May 15, but her family was not informed of the incident for more than 10 days. According to her father, Mega was stabbed by an assailant inside the house because she refused to pay him money. Her father said a thug broke into the house and tried to extort money from Vidi. “She argued with him and refused to pay. He attacked her with a knife… I was notified that she had died. I have sent official emails to my relatives,” he told the Asian News International (IANS). He also urged the Canadian government to repatriate his daughter’s remains to India for a final ceremony.
“My daughter’s name is Vidi Kalpesh Mega. She stayed there for four years. I have made a request to the government: please repatriate my daughter’s remains to India as soon as possible,” he said. The father stated that Gujarat Cabinet Minister and BJP MP for the Borsad constituency, Rahmanbay Solanki, had contacted him regarding the matter. Solanki has contacted both the Chief Minister’s office and the Prime Minister’s office to ensure the swift return of Widi’s remains.
Solanki said, “I only learned last night that our daughter Vidi Mega had been murdered in Borsad. This morning, I visited her family. I shared their grief and sorrow, offered my condolences, and conveyed their request to the government: to return our daughter’s remains to her family as soon as possible.” Widi is a resident of Borsad, Gujarat. She moved to Canada to study business administration and completed a three-year course.
Afterward, she enrolled in a Personal Care Worker (PSW) honors course. The 40-year-old suspect, Joshua San Omer, was arrested on May 18. The Niagara Regional Police Department (NRPS) said in a statement that he has been charged with second-degree murder.