Punjab woman, 23, killed in Canada; Indian live-in partner arrested

Damanpreet Kaur, who was in Canada on a student visa, was allegedly strangled by her partner, 22-year-old Ritish Kumar. Police have arrested Kumar and charged him with second degree murder.

In Short

• Damanpreet Kaur was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died later
• Autopsy found strangulation caused death, police ruled the case a homicide
• Investigators said it was an intimate partner homicide with no other suspects

A 23-year-old woman from Punjab’s Ludhiana district was strangled to death at her home in Edmonton, Canada. Police have arrested her live-in partner, another Indian national, in connection with the murder.

The victim, identified as Damanpreet Kaur, was originally from Samrala and had moved to Canada on a student visa.

According to a news release from the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), officers responded on July 9 to reports of an unresponsive woman with suspicious injuries at a residence in southeast Edmonton's Silverberry neighbourhood.

Emergency responders took Kaur to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she died on July 12, police said.

An autopsy conducted on July 14 found that Kaur died of strangulation, and the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, according to EPS.

Police arrested 22-year-old Ritish Kumar on Wednesday, July 22, and charged him with second-degree murder. Investigators said the case is being treated as an intimate partner homicide and that they are not looking for any additional suspects.

Family members told The New Indian Express that Kaur had moved to Canada about five years ago after her parents reportedly took out a loan to fund her education and future abroad.

A GoFundMe campaign launched to repatriate Kaur's body to India has raised more than $18,000, nearing its $20,000 target.

- Ends