Ritu Jha–
An Indian-origin man in Manteca, California allegedly killed his wife on December 31, and has been arrested and booked into San Joaquín county jail. Sixty-two-year-old Surinder Singh was arrested by Manteca Police on the night of December 31 for allegedly stabbing his wife Manjeet Kaur (38) to death that afternoon.
Manteca Police spokesperson Sgt. Joshua Gutierrez confirmed the incident to indica and subsequent arrest. “We responded to a call for service near Manteca, about a homicide of a female in her late 30s and there was probable cause to arrest Mr. Singh. So, he has been arrested and booked into San Joaquín county jail,” Sgt. Gutierrez told indica.
The officer declined to to provide further information citing an ongoing investigation, but added that the call of service came on the afternoon of December 31. “Mr Singh was not at his residence, so a warrant was issued and he was arrested outside San Joaquin County.” Court records show that Singh was arrested around 10.30 pm on December 31.
“The deceased was identified as Manjeet Kaur, a 38-year-old Manteca resident,” Christy Patterson, Supervising Medical Examiner, San Joaquin County, told indica.
Shalom Rosenfelder, Court Operations Manager, Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin told indica, “The bail is currently set at no bail allowed. He is charged with PC 187(A) and an allegation of PC 12022(B).”
Court documents show that Singh is facing criminal domestic violence and has been charged with murder [PC 187(A) Felony] and PC 12022(B) using a deadly or dangerous weapon].
Manjeet Kaur’s family members from the state of Punjab, India, said they are not only shocked by the murder, but also disheartened at the dismissive replies of Manteca police to their attempts to know what transpired on December 31.
Kaur’s elder brother Gurjeet Randhawa, who stays in Ludhiana in Punjab, said in an interview to indica that (the accused) Surinder Singh was well-behaved and polite, and frequently gave gifts to Manjeet when they were in India.
“But, as soon as he reached the US, he revealed his true colors. He became abusive and often mistreated my sister. But we still cannot understand what occurred on December 31 and why Surinder assaulted Manjeet with a knife and killed her,” Randhawa said.
The couple — both divorcees — got married in India and migrated to the US just six months ago. Randhawa said that Manjeet and Surinder seemed to get along well while in India.
“I’m surprised that he changed so much in just six months. He stayed in our Ludhiana house because, he claimed, his business partner had cheated him and he didn’t have any money. We now realize that all that was an act and he had lied all along. We learned that he had sold his store in the US and transferred the money to a relative’s bank account so that it would seem that he didn’t have any money. We thought that it was just a minor hiccup and that he would soon get his financial stability back. However, after going to the US he did not take up any work and started harassing my sister. He would purchase groceries for himself and tell my sister to fend for herself,” Randhawa said.
According to Randhawa, sometime in October, Singh had assaulted Kaur, forcing her to flee the house. “He did not allow her back in, and she had to stand outside. She then called the police and they arrested him for domestic violence. His family is wealthy and they got him out by paying a hefty bond. After this incident, Manjeet moved out and started staying alone in the US. She was struggling to make ends meet and often would eat at the nearby gurdwara (Sikh temple).”
Gurpreet, an individual who belongs to their village in Punjab, would often give shelter to Kaur.
“Later, Surinder’s family members met Manjeet at the gurdwara and requested her to return home. “Just 15 days prior to her murder, she had returned home at the insistence of his family members. Police refused to tell us how and why he killed her but we learned from others that he attacked her with a knife and stabbed her multiple times on her back, front, and neck.”
He added: “Surinder could have separated from her, why kill her?”
Kaur has a daughter, now 18, from her first marriage. “She is beside herself with grief and shock, and is unable to come to terms to the fact that she will never be able to meet her mother,” Randhawa said.
“When Manjeet was attacked the first time, I asked her to and the marriage and return to India. But she insisted that she wanted to stay in the US and make a fresh start so that her daughter can join her there and have a better future.”
He added, “When we heard about the incident, we tried contacting the authorities, but didn’t get much response. The police have been rude to us. They refused to tell us anything about our sister and even the motive for the murder. Whenever we call them, they tell us not to disturb them and that we will get information from the court. I never dreamt that such is the state of affairs in a country like the US.”
Kaur’s family has requested the Indian consulate in San Francisco for support in making arrangements to send her body back to India.
“I wish to get her mobile phone back as it is likely to contain plenty of evidence connected to her abuse. She had recorded his misbehavior on several occasions. The police’s behavior is suspicious. They have not arrested Surinder’s family members, who we feel are involved in this crime. We are trying to reach Mayor Gary Singh to seek his intervention,” Randhawa said.
