A London-based NRI’s secret marriage with her lover led to the solving of a year-old double-murder case involving the killing of a 30-year-old woman and her toddler son, the Patiala police said.
The police had lodged a case on January 29 against the deceased woman’s husband, a resident of Haryana’s Kaithal, and his London-based lover, who originally hails from Patiala’s Sanaur.
The incident had taken place on January 15 last year and the FIR in this regard was registered on January 29, 2025 following a complaint by the father of the victim woman that led to an investigation.
According to a complaint lodged by victim Gurpreet Kaur’s father, her husband Shaukeen Singh had taken her and their 20-month-old younger son Gurnaaz to a trip to Amritsar.
“Near Kalwanu village (in Patiala), he pushed them into the Bhakra canal with the help of someone else,” read the complaint.
Gurpreet’s body was found two days later from near Khanauri in Sangrur while her son’s body was traced by the cops a few days later.
Earlier, the police thought it to be an accident case, as Shaukeen claimed that his wife and their son fell into the canal while throwing a coconut into it.
His claim was never doubted since his alleged affair was kept under wraps and everyone in the family trusted him, the police said.
Later, Kirandeep Kaur"s return from England on October 29, 2024, and the unearthing of her secret marriage with Shaukeen on November 11 spilled the beans.
Following this, the victim"s father filed a complaint with the police, prompting the police to reopen the case.
“Initially we formed an SIT as circumstantial evidence raised suspicion. Our investigation revealed that Kirandeep Kaur moved to India without informing her family and they married last October, said Patiala SSP Nanak Singh.
“We have probed the case against them. Currently, both accused are on the run and raids are being conducted on to arrest them,” said Patiala SP (Investigation) Yogesh Kumar.
“Our investigation suggests that Shaukeen and Kirandeep knew each other since school days and had kept their affair under wraps given the family pressure. They were in touch and Shaukeen concocted the plan to eliminate his family members to marry Kirandeep, who already has a son in England,” he said.
