india

Updated: Mar 26, 2019 10:36 IST

Police on Monday recovered the body of a pregnant woman from the Bhakra canal in Lehragaga. The woman had gone missing from outside her house in Punjab’s Ferozepur on March 14..

The family of woman, identified as Ravneet Kaur, 29, a resident of Bagge Ki Pippal village, 8 km from Ferozepur, suspect the hand of her NRI husband in the murder.

Gurcharan Singh, Arifke police station in-charge, said: “On the complaint of Ravneet’s father Harvinder Singh, we have booked her husband Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Chandigarh who is settled in Australia.”

The family told police that Ravneet got married to Singh in 2013. The couple has a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter and was expecting their second child.

“Harvinder told police that Jaspreet had developed illicit relations with a girl called Kiran in Australia. Despite Ravneet’s repeated pleas, Jaspreet was not ready to end his affair. To get rid of his wife, Jaspreet plotted her murder with his paramour’s help,” said Gurcharan Singh.

While Jaspreet stayed back in Australia, Kiran came to India to execute their plan. “On March 14, Kiran along with her associates kidnapped Ravneet , who was on a call, from outside her house,” said police sources. Later, the kidnappers strangulated Ravneet and threw her body into the canal, alleged the victim’s father.

Jaspreet had recently got a permanent resident card of Canada and was supposed to move there from Australia shortly, he added.

“The body will be handed over to the family after autopsy tomorrow,” said police.

Police sources said Kiran and her associates have also been named in the FIR. However, there was no official confirmation.

“We have cracked the case and will divulge details at a press conference tomorrow,” said Ferozepur SSP Sandeep Goel.