A 71-year-old Indian-American woman was reportedly killed soon after she came to India from Seattle to wed a 75-year-old NRI man from the UK, police said on Wednesday.
The crime took place in July but came to light recently after the Ludhiana Police found some suspects in an FIR lodged about the disappearance of the woman.
Rupinder Kaur Pandher had arrived in India at the behest of Charanjit Singh Grewal, an England-based non-resident Indian (NRI) from Ludhiana, who would be her betrothed, police stated.
Authorities accuse Grewal of having arranged her murder.
Pandher's sister, Kamal Kaur Khairah, was worried when her mobile phone was discovered turned off on July 24. On July 28, she had reported the matter to the US embassy in New Delhi, which prompted local police to launch an investigation.
The Khairah family only learnt about Rupinder's death last week.
Ludhiana police have held Sukhjeet Singh Sonu from Malha Patti for the murder.
Police said Sonu confessed to killing Pandher at his home and burning her body in a storeroom, allegedly.
Sonu performed the act on the orders of Grewal for a promised payment of Rs 50 lakh, officials said.
The motive was financial, authorities said, adding Pandher had sent a large amount of money to Grewal before she traveled to India.
Deputy Inspector General of Ludhiana Police Range, Satinder Singh, confirmed that Grewal, who is absconding right now, has been identified as a suspect in the case.
Police are now trying to recover the skeletal remains of the victim and try to find more evidence based on Sonu's statements.
Read also| Ex-US NSA Praises India as 'Proud and Strong,' Slams Trump’s Policy Towards New Delhi
