Faridkot woman involved in money-lending business shot dead in Philippines
Incident occurred when Sukhbir Kaur was out in the field collecting payment instalments from clients in Manila; her husband was away to his native village in Faridkot
A woman from Ghaniawala village of Faridkot district in Punjab was allegedly shot dead in Manila, Philippines, while she was out in the field collecting payment instalments (collections) from clients on Sunday.
The victim, identified as Sukhbir Kaur, was reportedly involved in the finance and money-lending business. She hailed from Faridkot and had been living in Manila with her family to run a finance business.
Unidentified assailants opened fire, killing her on the spot.
At the time of the murder, her husband, Iqbal Singh, was away to his native village, Ghaniawala. The victim was managing the business operations in his absence.
Local Philippine authorities have launched an investigation into the shooting. Meanwhile, the family in Faridkot is in a state of shock and is appealing to the Indian government for assistance in bringing the body back to her native village for the final rites.
For years, a significant number of individuals from Punjab’s Malwa belt, including Faridkot, Moga and Bathinda, have migrated to the Philippines to engage in the "micro-finance" lending business.
This profession has become increasingly dangerous. The reports indicate that Indian financiers are frequently targeted by criminal gangs or disgruntled borrowers.
There are thousands of Indians, a large number of them Punjabi, who are settled in Manila, Cebu and Davao towns of the Philippines.
Many of these Indians are prosperous middle and higher class with their main occupations in clothing sales and marketing. But Punjabis, having their concentration maximum in the area around Manila, are involved largely in finance, sales and marketing.
