Luigi Mangione has earned infamy on the internet after he was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the heart of New York in front of the luxury Hilton Hotel. The suspected shooter has captured the internet’s attention in an unconventional way.
Soon after his arrest, the 26-year-old software engineer became an overnight internet sensation and the subject of various memes and viral posts. While many praised his actions, others were busy swooning over his killer looks.
Desi Twitter, however, got roped into the debate over Mangione quickly and in an unexpected manner. A photo of the suspected assassin wearing a traditional kurta-pajama surfaced online with many claiming it was clicked when he attended a desi wedding several years ago.
Take a look at the photo here:
The photo shows the Ivy-league graduate wearing a bright orange coloured silk kurta with a shiny pajama. His eyes are covered with sunglasses as he poses with a smile for a camera next to a man and a woman. The photo appears to be a cropped version from a larger group photograph most likely clicked at a wedding function.
The X user who was one of the first to share the photo on social media captioned the post: “This is the greatest day of my life.”
The photo quickly spread across Indian users who were stunned by the image and quickly shared their hilarious reactions. “He looks like he will dance on kala chashma,” said one of them, while another joked that he looked like “Luigi Maganlal”.
Many users claimed the outfit resembled typical desi costumes worn by American characters on sitcoms, drawing comparisons to Ryan Howard from The Office or Winston Schmidt from New Girl. Some users, however, were outraged by the photo being shared and accused the suspected killer of “cultural appropriation”.
(Also read: Luigi Mangione, CEO’s suspected shooter, is heir to holiday resort empire)