Jalandhar, January 29: A US citizen of Punjabi origin was allegedly killed by her in-laws in a village in Kapurthala district of Punjab after being lured to India on the pretext of attending a relative's wedding. The police suspect that she was murdered for her life insurance money, which was worth crores of rupees. A case has been registered, and her in-laws were arrested.

According to the report published by The Tribune, the deceased woman, Rajdeep Kaur, a mother of a five-year-old boy, arrived in India on January 12 along with her son at the insistence of her husband Manjinder Singh, who is living illegally in the US and is trying to get a green card. She was smothered to death by her in-laws on the night of January 19 at Nano Mallian village, where they had taken her for a visit. Punjab Shocker: Man Kills Estranged Wife With Help of Friend in Nawanshahr, Both Arrested.

Body Kept in Freezer:

Her in-laws then kept Rajdeep's body in a freezer at Sidhwa Dona village and informed the police on January 21, claiming that she had died of a heart attack. However, the post-mortem examination report, which came on January 27, revealed that she had died of asphyxia due to smothering.

The police arrested her mother-in-law, Daljit Kaur, and father-in-law, Jagdev Singh, on the same day and booked her husband, Manjinder Singh, who is absconding, for murder and conspiracy. The police also recovered the insurance papers of Rajdeep Kaur from her in-laws' possession. "It is believed that the woman was murdered as she had a hefty life insurance coverage. Her husband and in-laws had planned to kill her and claim the money," said Babandeep Singh, DSP, Sultanpur Lodhi. Punjab Honour Killing: Couple Hacked To Death By Kin in Bathinda, Accused Arrested (Watch Video).

'Husband Harassed Rajdeep', Says Her Mother:

Rajdeep Kaur's parents, who are based in the UK, came to know about her death through a phone call from her husband. They rushed to India and lodged a complaint with the Sultanpur Lodhi police on January 25, alleging that their daughter was tortured and killed by her in-laws.

"Rajdeep was constantly harassed by her husband. He wanted her to transfer all her property in his name so that he could get a green card. My daughter was called to India on the basis of a lie about a wedding. It was a trap to kill her. Her husband lied to us that she died of a heart attack. Another relative said she died due to gas from a room heater," said Nirmal Kaur, Rajdeep's mother.

The police said that there was no wedding in the family of Manjinder Singh's aunt, as claimed by him, and that it was a false pretext to bring Rajdeep Kaur to India. The police are also investigating the role of other relatives who might have been involved in the crime. "We have registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy against the husband and the in-laws of the deceased. We are trying to trace the husband, who is in the US, and bring him to justice. We are also probing the angle of insurance fraud," said Lakhwinder Singh, SHO, Sultanpur Lodhi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2024 07:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).