Police in India allege suspect in high-profile murder case fled to Canada

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The brutal murder of a young Punjabi singer has set off an urgent search for her killer, with police in India alleging the chief suspect has fled to Canada.

Yashinder Kaur, 29, went missing on May 13. Her car was pulled out of a canal near Ludhiana, in India's Punjab state, and six days after the killing, divers recovered her body. An autopsy showed she had been shot twice, in the head and chest. 

Better known as Inder Kaur, she was a popular singer on social media and had a role in a Punjabi film. She lived in Ludhiana with her brother Jotinder Singh.

At a news conference a week after she was killed, Punjabi police paraded three men under black hoods who had been arrested for abduction and illegal use of firearms. But police allege their chief suspect is a permanent resident in Canada who knew the victim and was visiting Ludhiana. 

Punjab is a northern state in India with close ties to Canada, and the story captured headline news across India. 

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The search for Kaur was closely tracked by friends and followers in Ludhiana and beyond, putting intense pressure on local police to explain her disappearance. 

The eventual details of her killing set up a frenzy of breaking news reports about the alleged Canadian connection and the Kaur family’s demands for Canada to get involved.

Punjab police say that “intense interrogation” of the suspected accomplices, as well as information from the Kaur family, statements from taxi drivers and a trail of travel documents, led them to their primary suspect.

Two guns they recovered, say police, were registered to Sukhwinder Singh Brar, a 37-year-old man originally from Moga, Punjab, who had been living for years in Canada. Forensics on the weapons are still pending.

The Kaur family say Sukhwinder Singh and the victim shared a long-distance friendship for about five years, and that there was talk of marriage.

The Kaur family celebrated Sukhwinder Singh's birthday in January, and according to the family, at that time he confirmed his intention to marry the singer.

“He was like a brother to me," said Jotinder Singh, Inder Kaur’s brother.

But according to Kaur’s mother, the family discovered later this spring that Sukhwinder Singh was already married with children in Canada.

Daljeet Kaur said her daughter “didn’t know anything” until she phoned him in Canada and his wife picked up the call. As a result of that revelation, Inder Kaur was “under a lot of stress, on medication and struggled to sleep.”

On the evening of her death in May, her brother Jotinder said she left their home at about 8:30 p.m. In her vehicle. Later that night, he said “she assured me over the phone, ‘I will be back in just 10 to 15 minutes.'" 

“When I finally started calling her again, she didn't pick up my calls at all." He never heard from her again.

Deeply worried, he and a cousin filed a report at a local police station and a search began in the following days.

He said police have evidence the suspect left India via Nepal shortly after Kaur was reported missing.

The RCMP said they "are not aware of anything from a federal policing standpoint."

Jaspal Singh Giaspura, a politician in Ludhiana and friend of the family, is critical of the initial investigation, saying the police’s primary suspect had more accomplices, including, he alleges, a police constable. 

Giaspura says once all the evidence is gathered, there should be pressure "to hand over this man to the Indian government."

The Kaur family is also asking for Canada’s help. Gurinderpal Singh, a cousin of Inder Kaur, had to identify her body, which was the toughest part of this horrible tragedy, he said. 

He can't understand why there isn't already enough evidence for Canada to act.

“We appeal to the Canadian government: we have all the necessary evidence and proof, he should be immediately deported from Canada," he said.

Gurinderpal Singh added that the family was apprehensive about legal procedures because “our legal system is structured in a complex way — anything can happen or get delayed."

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But given that the investigation isn’t complete and the police’s main suspect hasn't been charged, Canada is not involved. Police have 90 days from the date of the killing to charge any suspects, including the three in jail in Ludhiana.

Only then could the case be referred to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which could decide to formally ask for co-operation from Canadian authorities.

In the meantime, Kaur’s mother is still reeling from the murder of her daughter. 

“My child, come back to me," Daljeet Kaur said through tears. “Nothing looks right to me; nothing feels good anymore. I remain completely devastated.”

She’s desperately trying to help solve what happened to her daughter.

"My daughter wants justice."

Senior correspondent

Susan Ormiston is an award-winning international correspondent covering climate and world news. She's been a foreign correspondent in London, Washington and on assignment in Moscow. Susan has reported from more than 30 countries, including multiple conflict zones.

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