CHANDIGARH: A 23-year-old Indian-origin woman from Punjab was allegedly strangled to death by her live-in partner in Edmonton, Canada.
The accused, also an Indian national from Delhi, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in what Canadian police have described as an intimate partner homicide.
The deceased has been identified as Damanpreet Kaur, a resident of Samrala in Punjab’s Ludhiana district.
According to the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), officers responded to a residence in the Silverberry neighbourhood on July 9 after receiving reports of an unresponsive woman with suspicious injuries. She was taken to hospital in critical condition, where she succumbed to her injuries on July 12.
The accused, 22-year-old Ritish Kumar, originally from Delhi, was arrested on July 22 and charged with second-degree murder.
In a statement, the Edmonton Police Service said officers from the Southeast Branch responded to a call at around 6:44 pm on July 9 regarding an unresponsive woman with suspicious injuries at a residence in the Silverberry neighbourhood. An adult male was taken into custody shortly thereafter.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) treated the 23-year-old woman at the scene before transporting her to hospital with life-threatening injuries. She died on July 12.
The Edmonton Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on July 14 and determined that Damanpreet Kaur had died as a result of homicide. Police said the cause of death, initially withheld for investigative reasons, was strangulation.
Investigators said the case is being treated as an intimate partner homicide and that no other suspects are being sought. The allegations against the accused have not yet been tested in court.
Family members said Damanpreet had moved to Canada around five years ago after her parents reportedly took a loan to finance her education and future abroad.
Her death has sent shockwaves through her hometown of Samrala in Ludhiana district, with relatives and well-wishers mourning the loss.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the family repatriate Damanpreet’s mortal remains to India for her last rites.
