Suspected dishonour killing reported from Punjab

Hoshiarpur: Police on Saturday said the suspected murder of a 25-year-old woman was a case of dishonour killing with her parents, fiercely opposed to her affair with a dalit boy, allegedly getting her eliminated.

The body of Manpreet Kaur was found lying near Bhagora on Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh road close to Mahilpur crossing on December 6. Police had registered a case of murder after it found injury marks. "A father and a mother had got their daughter killed. It was a case of honour killing," Hoshiarpur SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill told reporters here today. Manpreet`s father Kapur Singh, mother Balwinder and two others -- Satnam and Jaswinderpal -- had been arrested and Rs 1.50 lakh, a sharp-edged weapon and a car used in the crime seized, he said. "The girl`s mobile phone and her burnt clothes were also seized from the arrested persons," Gill said. The SSP said investigations revealed Manpreet was in love with Sandeep Kumar, a dalit, and wanted to marry him in spite of fierce opposition from her parents. On December 5, Manpreet and her parents had a verbal duel in the presence of Kapur`s close friend Satnam and his driver Gurinder Singh, another accused, who was on the run, he said. During heated arguments, Satnam allegedly hit her with a wedge and she died instantly, the SSP said. Later, her parents called Jaswinderpal, a resident of Meetpurm, to dispose of Manpreet`s body for which he took Rs 1.50 lakh, the SSP said. All the accused had confessed their involvement in the crime, Gill said. PTI