Punjab police have uncovered a chilling murder case involving a 71-year-old US citizen of Indian origin who travelled to Ludhiana in July to marry a UK-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI).
The victim, Rupinder Kaur Pandher, who had flown from Seattle, was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat, her body burnt, and the remains stuffed into sacks before being dumped in a drain near Ghungrana village.
Police say the crime was allegedly carried out at the behest of Charanjit Singh Grewal, a 75-year-old England-based NRI originally from Ludhiana, who was to marry Pandher but later refused.
It is reported that Grewal allegedly contracted Sukhjeet Singh alias Sonu, a local court typist, promising him ₹50 lakh and help to move abroad in exchange for the killing.
Sonu, who has since been arrested, allegedly confessed to murdering Pandher in his house on 12 July before burning the body and disposing of it. Some skeletal remains and her damaged iPhone have been recovered.
The case came to light when Pandher’s sister, Kamal Kaur Khairah, raised the alarm after her phone went unanswered on 24 July. She contacted the US embassy in New Delhi, which pressed Ludhiana police to investigate.
Police revealed that Pandher and Grewal had met through a matrimonial website. She had transferred money to Grewal before her visit and even given power of attorney to Sonu, raising suspicions of financial motives behind the crime.
DIG (Ludhiana Range) Satinder Singh told local media that Grewal, who remains in the UK, has been named the main accused and is currently absconding. Investigations are ongoing to recover more evidence.
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