Indian police allege the prime suspect in the murder of Punjabi singer Inder Kaur fled to Canada shortly after the killing, as the victim’s family urges Canadian authorities to help bring him to justice.
The 29-year-old singer, whose legal name was Yashinder Kaur, disappeared on May 13 after leaving her home in Ludhiana, Punjab. Six days later, police recovered her vehicle from a canal and divers found her body. An autopsy determined she had been shot twice, including once in the head and once in the chest.
Known professionally as Inder Kaur, she had built a strong following on social media and had appeared in a Punjabi film. She lived with her brother, Jotinder Singh, in Ludhiana.
Punjab Police have arrested three men on charges related to abduction and illegal possession of firearms. However, investigators allege the main suspect is Sukhwinder Singh Brar, a Canadian permanent resident originally from Punjab, who was visiting India at the time of the killing.
Police say evidence gathered through witness statements, travel records and the interrogation of those arrested points to Brar as the principal suspect. They also allege he fled India through Nepal shortly after Kaur disappeared.
Authorities say two firearms recovered during the investigation were registered to Brar, although forensic testing remains ongoing.
According to Kaur’s family, she and Brar had maintained a long-distance relationship for about five years and had discussed marriage. They allege she later discovered he was already married with children in Canada after his wife answered one of her phone calls.
Her mother, Daljeet Kaur, said the revelation left her daughter emotionally distressed and struggling with anxiety and sleeplessness in the weeks before her death.
On the night she disappeared, Kaur left home around 8:30 p.m., telling her brother she would return within minutes. When repeated phone calls went unanswered, the family reported her missing and a search was launched.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Inderjeet Singh Boparai said investigators believe Brar’s father—one of the three men arrested—confessed during questioning that his son returned to India and that they acted as accomplices in the crime.
CBC News reported that public records list Brar as a director of a construction company in Calgary and the owner of a residence in the city. He has not responded to requests for comment. Calgary police said they are not involved in the case, while the RCMP said it has no information regarding the investigation from a federal policing perspective.
The investigation has since been transferred to a special investigative branch following criticism from local political leaders, who have called for a broader probe into the killing.
Kaur’s family is now appealing to the Canadian government to assist Indian authorities if Brar is found to be in Canada. They argue sufficient evidence exists for action, including possible deportation.
However, no charges have been laid against the alleged main suspect, and Canadian authorities are not currently involved. Under Indian law, police have 90 days from the date of the killing to file charges against suspects as the investigation continues.
