A young woman from Punjab's Faridkot district was allegedly murdered by her own family after she married a man of her choice, and her body was dumped in bushes along a highway. Her husband managed to escape the attackers and survive.
Body found in roadside bushes
Some passersby near village Dhilwan Kalan on the Faridkot-Bathinda National Highway-54 noticed a body lying in the bushes by the roadside and immediately alerted the police. A police team reached the spot without delay, took charge of the body and began investigating. The attack is believed to have taken place late at night, but the body was noticed only after daybreak, which caused panic among people in the area.
Victim identified as Mehakpreet Kaur
During the investigation, the deceased was identified as Mehakpreet Kaur, a resident of village Harika Burj in Faridkot district and the wife of Jagdeep Singh. According to police, Mehakpreet Kaur had recently married a young man from her own village out of her own choice, a decision her family strongly opposed from the outset.
Couple ambushed on the road
Police said their preliminary investigation suggests that Mehakpreet Kaur's family members got an opportunity, surrounded the couple on the road and launched a sudden attack. During the assault, her husband managed to run towards nearby fields and save his own life, but Mehakpreet Kaur could not get away from the attackers. She was allegedly killed brutally on the spot, and her body was then dumped among the bushes in an apparent bid to hide evidence and delay discovery of the crime.
DSP confirms case registered under murder charges
Faridkot DSP (Investigation) Avtar Singh said that as soon as information came in about a body lying near fields close to the highway, a police team was rushed to the spot, and the victim's identity was established during the course of the investigation. He said the family's opposition to the love marriage has emerged as the suspected motive behind the killing. According to Singh, police have registered a case against the accused family members under sections related to murder, and further legal action is underway while a search continues for those involved.
