Ritu Jha–
The body of 38-year-old Indian-origin Manjeet Kaur, the Manteca, California woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband Surinder Singh on New Year’s eve, was sent to India on January 11 following an intervention by the Indian consulate in San Francisco. Consul General Dr. K. Srikar Reddy told indica, “We are paying for transportation of mortal remains of the deceased and working with Team Aid organization in this regard.”
Team Aid founder Mohan Nannapaneni said he was dejected at the brutal murder of Manjeet Kaur, and said they have worked with the Indian diplomatic mission to send the body to India. Founded in 2017, Team Aid is a non-profit that helps people living abroad during unexpected tragedies and helps organize to send mortal remains from the US to their home country.
Kaur’s remains will be received in Ludhiana in Punjab by her parents and siblings, and her 18-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
According to the family, Kaur was a victim of domestic violence and was staying in the US with her husband for only six months before her murder. She was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband on December 31, 2023. Singh, 62, was arrested the same night and booked into San Joaquín county jail, with no bail. Kaur is the second eldest sibling in the family, and has one younger sister and brother, according to her elder brother Gurjeet Randhawa.
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).”
“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.”
