Murder of US Woman: Lookout circular being issued against UK-based conspirator

Providing justice to Indian-origin US citizen Rupinder Kaur Pandher, who was killed by a Kilaraipur youth, Sukhjeet Singh Sonu, at behest of former’s would-be groom Charanjit Singh Grewal, an NRI, seems to be a litmus test for the Dehlon police as the main conspirator of the crime is beyond the reach of the local police.

Identification of the body of the deceased, partial remains of which have been collected and sealed by the investigating team, is also a challenge as none of the parts are recognisable.

The investigating team will have to get the identity of the body ascertained on the basis of a DNA test of a family member of the deceased. At present, deceased’s sister Kamaljit Khairah residing in Texas is in touch with the police, whose STR (short tandem repeat) can be matched with that of victim’s body parts available with the police.

Sukhjeet, who has confessed his crime before the police, may not be relied upon till the conclusion of trial of the case as he can go hostile any time. His smartness can be gauged from the fact that he had kept the murder a secret for around two months.

Even on being questioned by senior functionaries in the Police Commissionerate, he managed to convince them about his “innocence” till the Dehlon police received a tip-off regarding the murder of the woman. Residents and kin of the deceased are not ready to accept that a single person can kill a woman at a small house situated in the middle of the village and then burn her body without getting people know about the smoke and peculiar smell of burning flesh and dump the body remains in a drain at a distant place in a single night.

The victim was allegedly killed by Sukhjeet at the behest of a 75-year-old UK-based NRI from Mehma Singh Wala village here.

The police revealed that the victim was lured to Punjab under the pretext of marriage. She had reportedly transferred large amounts of money to accounts linked to the Sukhjeet and his brother.

The crime came to light only weeks later when Rupinder Kaur’s sister reported her missing and alerted the US Embassy in India on July 28, after repeated failed attempts to contact her.

Acknowledging challenges in further investigation, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Harjinder Singh Gill said a lookout circular (LOC) was being issued against Charanjit. The police would also adopt legal procedure for declaring him as a proclaimed offender (PO) and he will forfeit his property in India.

“When our team can crack this blind and well-planned high-profile murder case, we can also nab the suspect and his accomplice, if any,” said Gill, maintaining that the Ludhiana police had already conveyed to relatives of Rupinder Kaur that justice would be provided to the victim’s family at all costs.