Accused in singer’s murder refused to take ‘no’: Police

Payal Dhawan

Ludhiana: Punjabi singer Yashinder Kaur’s continued resistance to the advances of a married man allegedly led to her murder, with police stating that accused Sukhwinder Singh refused to accept her decision. He had reportedly concealed the fact that he was married and had two children when he entered into a relationship with Yashinder Kaur. When she found out, she tried to distance herself, but the accused neither wanted to divorce his wife nor leave the victim.

Ludhiana police on Wednesday arrested another accused, Ravinder Singh of Moga, a friend of Sukhwinder. Two pistols — .30 bore and .45 bore — allegedly used in the crime were recovered from his possession.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP, Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said Ravinder Singh alias Ravi, a resident of Kot Ise Khan village in Moga, was arrested based on information provided by Pritam Singh, father of main accused Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, and Karamjit Singh, who were arrested earlier. Acting on Ravinder’s disclosure, police recovered the weapons used in the crime.

Investigations revealed that Sukhwinder Singh befriended the woman around six years ago through social networking sites. Despite being married with two children, he allegedly pressured her for marriage. After learning about his marital status, she refused his proposal, following which he allegedly began harassing her.

The DCP said the accused came to Punjab from Canada via Nepal with the intention of killing Yashinder if she did not agree to marry him. On May 13, he called her for a meeting. He left his car with his friends and sat in the victim’s car.

During the meeting, he again tried to persuade her, but she refused. Police said he then shot her at point-blank range in the stomach inside the car. After committing the crime, he dumped the body in a canal and fled.

The victim’s car was also dumped in the same canal after its number plates were removed, but at a distance of around one kilometre from where the body was disposed of.

Police said Ravinder Singh fled to Canada through the same day.

The DCP added that Pritam Singh, father of the key accused, was aware of the crime and helped his son escape.

Box: How The Case Came To Light

The case surfaced after Yashinder Kaur went missing following a meeting with accused Sukhwinder Singh on May 13

Police launched an investigation after her disappearance raised suspicion among family members and acquaintances

During the probe, investigators traced the victim’s last known movements and found that she had met the accused shortly before she vanished

Police later recovered Yashinder’s body from a canal, confirming fears of foul play

Investigators discovered the victim’s car dumped separately in the canal, around a kilometre away from where the body was found

The vehicle’s number plates had allegedly been removed in an attempt to conceal evidence and delay identification

Technical surveillance, questioning of suspects, and interrogation of arrested accused reportedly helped police piece together the sequence of events

The arrest of Pritam Singh and Karamjit Singh led investigators to Ravinder Singh, from whose possession two pistols allegedly used in the crime were recovered

Police investigations subsequently revealed details about the accused’s relationship with the victim, his alleged obsession with marriage, and his travel from Canada to Punjab before the murder