US citizen reaches Punjab to marry NRI; burned to death
What's the story
A 69-year-old Indian-origin United States citizen, Rupinder Kaur Pandher, was allegedly murdered in Kila Raipur village near Ludhiana, Punjab. According to TNIE, Pandher had traveled from Seattle to marry a UK-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Charanjit Singh Grewal, 75, in July. Grewal had lured her to India with the promise of marriage and then arranged her murder through a contract killer, police said. The Punjab Police have identified Sukhjeet Singh alias Sonu as the main suspect in the case.
Confession details
Singh promised ₹50 lakh for the crime
Singh has allegedly confessed to killing Pandher on July 12-13 on Grewal's orders. The police said that the murder was motivated by financial gain. Singh also claimed that he was promised ₹50 lakh for carrying out the crime. To destroy evidence, Singh allegedly burned Pandher's body with diesel in a storeroom at his home and disposed of the ashes in a nearby drain.
Case initiation
Case came to light on July 28
The case came to light when Pandher's sister, Kamal Kaur Khairah, reported her missing to the US Embassy in India on July 28. She hadn't heard from her sister for four days after she traveled to Kila Raipur on Grewal's invitation. The US Embassy then contacted the Punjab Police after Kamal's repeated attempts to reach out.
Family concerns
Grewal was introduced to Kamal by Pandher
Kamal told TNIE over the phone from the US that her sister met Grewal, both divorced, through a matrimonial site in May last year. She had brought him to meet Kamal in Houston. "I asked him why he didn't try to find a woman to marry in the UK or India instead of the US, but he had no answer. At that time, he also hadn't informed his family about my sister," she said.
Case
She transferred $36,500
Kamal further stated that her sister traveled to India in October, while Grewal also came from the UK. He took her to his village, where she was allegedly mistreated. In May, she returned to the US. "On June 18 this year, my sister went back to India after he told her he would marry her. She stayed with two people known to Grewal and, during her earlier visit, had transferred 36,500 US dollars to India," Kamal claimed.
Legal proceedings
Police still gathering evidence against Grewal and his associates
Assistant Commissioner of Police Harjinder Singh Gill said that Singh has confessed to the crime. "The remand of Sonu was of four days which ended today and again we produced him in court, and three days more remand has been taken," he said. The police are still working to gather more evidence against Grewal and his associates, who are currently absconding.