A 25-year-old woman, who was around three months pregnant, died under suspicious circumstances at Burj Littan village in Ludhiana district and her family has alleged that she was assaulted and strangled by her husband, while police are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
The deceased has been identified as Harpreet Kaur. Police have detained her husband, Jaspreet Singh alias Jassa, and his grandfather, Joginder Singh, following a complaint from Harpreet’s family.
The body has been sent to Ludhiana Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination and police have said the exact cause of death will be established through the medical examination and further investigation.
According to Harpreet’s family, she had been staying at her parental home because of ongoing domestic disputes and her relatives alleged that she had faced repeated problems in her marriage. They further claimed that Jaspreet had visited her parental village on Sunday and persuaded her to return with him to Burj Littan, the family also said he had promised to give up his drug addiction.
Harpreet returned to her husband’s home a day before her death, according to her relatives and the family said she was about three months pregnant and had recently undergone a scan. They said she had also informed her mother about the pregnancy.
The family has alleged that Jaspreet returned home in an intoxicated condition on Monday night. They claim that an argument followed and that Harpreet was assaulted. Her relatives have further alleged that she was strangled.
At around 2 am, the family received a call informing them that Harpreet was in critical condition. According to the relatives, they were told that she had allegedly attempted suicide, however, when they reached the house, they found Harpreet lying on a cot.
Her relatives said they noticed injury marks on her body, including marks around her neck and back, they also said that her big toe appeared to be broken. Based on these observations, the family approached the police and alleged that Harpreet had been killed and that an attempt was made to make the death appear to be a suicide.
The allegations made by the family have not yet been established by the police, and the exact circumstances of Harpreet’s death remain under investigation.
Station House Officer Kulwinder Singh said the body had been sent for post-mortem and that the actual cause of death would be known after the medical report and further inquiry, meanwhile police are questioning the two detained men and examining the circumstances in which Harpreet died.
The case has also brought attention to the family’s allegations of domestic violence and substance abuse, however, these allegations will have to be verified during the police investigation.
