In support of a Canadian Circle K employee facing 14 years in prison for defending himself during a robbery, supporters collected $12,000.
Tejeshwar Kalia is an employee of Circle K and was the target of a robbery in Peterborough, Canada. The incident took place on January 5.
Jonathan Handel tried to rob Circle K at about 2:30 in the morning. Handel started threatening the cashier for money. He then pulled out a baseball bat and hit Kalia many times in the back of the head and spine.
In a desperate bid to defend himself, Kalia managed to wrestle the bat away from Handel and retaliated. He ended up striking Handel in the head before he fell to the ground.
Despite acting in self-defence, Kalia now faces a 14-year prison sentence. This stark outcome stems from the severe injuries sustained by Handel, who was induced into a coma and suffered loss of taste and smell.
In the face of adversity, a groundswell of support has emerged for Kalia from the Circle K community and beyond. Responding to his plight, numerous individuals rallied behind Kalia by contributing to his GoFundMe campaign. It ended up amassing an impressive sum of $12,000.
However, GoFundMe sent Kalia an email stating that his campaign “violated” their rules of service, so he is now required to return the money to the donors.
Unfortunately, the story took an unexpected turn when GoFundMe intervened and deemed Kalia’s campaign to be in violation of their terms of service. Kalia was consequently compelled to return the donated funds, leaving supporters perplexed and disheartened.
Donors to Kalia have recently replied confusedly to their reimbursement from GoFundMe. Many took to various platforms, to voice their concerns and inquire about the status of Kalia’s fundraising efforts.
One supporter said: “I saw your article on the weekend and made a donation, but today the entire page has been taken down and monies refunded. Any idea what happened?”
Another supporter said: “We are shocked about what is happening to Tejeshwar. Yesterday, we donated $200 to his GoFundMe. Today, we received our donation back.”
Despite the overwhelming show of solidarity, Kalia finds himself in a precarious position with no immediate solution in sight. While efforts were made to alleviate his legal and financial burdens, the absence of a secondary fundraiser has left Kalia grappling with the impending legal battle.
Meanwhile, Handel faces a considerably lighter sentence of 18 months in prison.
