Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur court has recently sentenced a British citizen to death for murdering her NRI husband with the help of a friend 7 years ago.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Pankaj Kumar Srivastava held Ramandeep Kaur (wife of deceased Sukhjeet Singh) guilty. Her friend and accomplice Gurpreet Singh was also held guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with fine of Rs 3 lakh imposed on him.
The court also held Gurpreet guilty under the Arms Act and sentenced him to 3 years of imprisonment along with imposing a fine of Rs 10,000.
Additional District Government Counsel Shree Pal Verma stated Sukhjeet Singh (34), a resident of Basantapur under Banda police station, went to England for a job in 2002. There he became friends with Ramandeep Kaur, a resident of Derby. Sukhjeet got the job of a driver and subsequently married Ramandeep in 2005.
On July 28, 2016, Sukhjeet along with Ramandeep and their sons came to Shahjahanpur on a vacation.
Verma stated, “On September 1, 2016, when Sukhjeet was sleeping with his sons Arjun and Aryan, he was attacked by a sharp-edged weapon by Ramandeep and her friend Gurpreet Singh,” adding Arjun was 9 years and Aryan 7 years old at that time.
Both Ramandeep and Gurpreet got arrested and sent to jail.
Verma stated after Sukhjeet’s murder, Ramandeep’s parents moved a court in England seeking custody of their grandchildren. However, the court rejected their application and said that minor children should live with their paternal relatives.
Furthermore, Verma stated, “During the hearing in India, Arjun told the court that he was sleeping with his father, when his mother smothered her husband with a pillow. Then, Gurpreet hit Sukhjeet with a hammer on his head. After that, Gurpreet took out a knife from his pocket and gave it to Ramandeep, who slit the throat of Sukhjeet.”
Reacting to the verdict, Sukhjeet’s mother Vanshjeet Kaur told media, “I feel relieved. My prayers were answered and I got what I was expecting from the court. I was demanding capital punishment for Ramandeep so that no mother’s child dies like this.”
Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena stated information about the judgement that is being sent to the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and the high commission.
A British citizen can be sentenced to death by a court in India, Verma said, “Why not? She committed a crime here and this was her in-laws’ place. She was staying here. Before committing the crime, she was in Shahjahanpur, and she was in Shahjahanpur after the crime as well.”