Missing Australian NRI murdered in Amritsar; brother among accused arrested
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of a 66-year-old Australian citizen of Punjabi origin has ended tragically, with the Amritsar Rural Police confirming that he was murdered.
The police have arrested the accused, including the victim's brother, and are expected to disclose further details during a media briefing later this evening.
The victim, Sunil Sharma, a mathematics teacher based in Melbourne, Australia, had been missing since May 22 while visiting Punjab. Sharma had travelled to Amritsar to oversee painting work and attend to a property-related matter at a house he owned.
His disappearance had sparked concern among family members in Australia and attracted attention from the Punjabi diaspora as well as Australian media. Sharma's mobile phone had remained switched off since the day he went missing, raising fears about his safety.
Earlier, Sharma's daughter, Surbhi Sharma, had made an emotional appeal to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, urging immediate intervention to trace her father.
"My father has been missing since May 22 from Amritsar. We have no information about his whereabouts, and his phone is switched off. I request the Punjab government to use all available resources to find him and bring him home," she had said in a video message.
The investigation took a major turn when the police identified Sharma's brother, Sunny Sharma, as the prime suspect. Sources said property-related disputes were being examined as a possible motive behind the crime.
Before the breakthrough, police had stated that Sunny Sharma and his family were absconding. Investigators also revealed that Sunny was wanted by the police in Himachal Pradesh in a case registered under the NDPS Act.
A kidnapping case had initially been registered following Sharma's disappearance. With police now confirming his murder and arresting the accused, the case is expected to be converted into a murder case.
Further details, including the recovery of the body, the motive behind the killing and the identities of all those arrested, are likely to emerge after the SSP's official briefing.
