72-year-old Indian-origin US citizen murdered in Punjab; UK-based NRI prime suspect

CHANDIGARH: A 72-year-old Indian-origin US citizen, Rupinder Kaur Pandher, was allegedly murdered in Kila Raipur village near Ludhiana after traveling from Seattle to Punjab in July to marry a 75-year-old UK-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Charanjit Singh Grewal. According to police, Grewal lured her to India under the pretext of marriage and then orchestrated her brutal murder through a contract killer. The Punjab Police have identified the main suspect as Sukhjeet Singh alias Sonu, who has allegedly confessed to killing Rupinder on the night of July 1213, acting on instructions from Grewal. Investigators claim that financial gain was the primary motive for the murder. Police sources revealed that Charanjit Singh Grewal, originally from Mehma Singh Wala village, now residing in the United Kingdom, had allegedly plotted the murder and promised Rs 50 lakh to Sonu to carry out the killing. In a gruesome attempt to destroy evidence, Sonu reportedly burned Rupinders body with diesel in a storeroom at his residence, cooled the remains with water, and disposed of the ashes in a nearby drain in Lehra village. The police have since recovered partial skeletal remains and sent them for forensic analysis. While Grewal has been named as the prime suspect, efforts are ongoing to gather further evidence and secure his arrest. His brother and other associates have also been named in the FIR and are currently absconding. The case came to light when Rupinders sister, Kamal Kaur Khaizah, who resides in the US contacted the US Embassy in India on July 28 after failing to reach her sister for four consecutive days. Rupinder's phone had been switched off shortly after she traveled to Kila Raipur on Grewals invitation. Following Kamals persistent efforts, the US Embassy took up the matter with the Punjab Police. It was only last week that the family received a call from a friend who informed them of Rupinders suspected murder and Sonus arrest, which proved to be the breakthrough in the case. A case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing. Assistant Commissioner of Police Harjinder Singh Gill confirmed that Sukhjeet Singh alias Sonu, a resident of Malha Patti in Kila Raipur, admitted to the murder and the attempt to dispose of the body by setting it ablaze in a storeroom on the night of July 1213.