Upset for not sending him abroad, Hoshiarpur village youth kills stepmother, arrested

Hoshiarpur, February 29

The police yesterday evening arrested a person for allegedly killing his stepmother in Harsi village of the district. The reason behind the murder was apparently rivalry between the suspect and the victim for not getting her house transferred in his name and not sending him to Canada.

The killing was reported on February 25. SSP Surendra Lamba said to solve the murder case, a special team had been formed under SP (D) Sarabjit Singh Bahia and DSP Tanda Harjeet Singh Randhawa. Tanda police station in-charge Raman Kumar, Inspector Gurpreet, in-charge, CIA staff, Hoshiarpur, and the Technical Cell were also included in the team.

SSP Lamba told reporters that the police had received information that Baljinder Kaur, a woman living alone in her house in Harsi, had been murdered by unidentified persons. In this regard, a case had been registered at the Tanda police station under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC on February 25.

The police team succeeded in getting leads about the suspect within 24 hours with the help of CCTV footage and call details and he was arrested yesterday. Lamba said the suspect, identified as Gurpreet Singh (30), a resident of Jhanwa village, had been arrested.

The SSP said deceased Baljinder’s husband Balwinder Singh had married twice and his first wife Satinder Kaur, a resident of Jhanwa, had three children — son Gurpreet Singh and daughters Jaskaran Kaur and Manpreet Kaur.

Gurpreet had been evicted from the house and disowned by his father a long time ago and was staying at a rented house in Ghodewaha village. The SSP said Baljinder also had three children and all of them were abroad in Canada.

Lamba said Gurpreet wanted Baljinder to transfer the house in Jhanwa village in his name and send him abroad to Canada, where her children were also living, but she did not do so, due to which Gurpreet was upset with her.

The SSP said on the day of the murder, Gurpreet went to Baljinder’s house and had a quarrel with her. He allegedly hit her with a wooden plank and then strangled her to death.

Based on a tip-off, Gurpreet was arrested by the police and several documents, including PAN card, Aadhaar card, driving licence and voter card of the deceased, her three passport-sized photographs and scooter were recovered from him.

Wanted house transferred in his name

• SSP Surendra Lamba said Gurpreet Singh, the suspect in the case, had been evicted from the house and disowned by his father a long time ago and was staying at a rented house in Ghodewaha village
• Lamba said Gurpreet wanted his stepmother Baljinder to transfer the house in Jhanwa village in his name and send him abroad to Canada, but she did not do so, due to which Gurpreet was upset with her