Social media influencer Manjeet Kaur was nearly seven weeks pregnant when she died on Wednesday after weeks after she was tied to a tree and set on fire in Morinda. She died at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, two months after sustaining severe burn injuries.
Police said that her pregnancy was confirmed after her death during an autopsy. Kaur, 28, was a divorcee and is survived by her seven-year-old son, who lives with her former husband.
Police are trying to trace the two absconding suspects, Shubi and Pinda, who were acquaintances of Kaur.
According to a complaint by Kaur’s mother, Kanta Devi, the suspects called her to Sector 34 near a liquor shop in Chandigarh during the night on July 3 and 4.
They then took her to Morinda, where she was allegedly tied to a mulberry tree and set on fire.
Another acquaintance of Kaur reached the spot and put out the fire using a blanket. She was then rushed to a hospital in Morinda before being taken to PGIMER.
She had briefly gained consciousness on August 5 but remained in a critical condition.
Kaur's mother, in her complaint, had also alleged that the police refused to take her daughter’s statement while she was at the hospital and alive.
Her mother alleged that she was willing to give her statement to the police.
The family said that it informed Kharar Sadar Police in Mohali and requested officers to record her statement, but no police personnel arrived.
Sources also said that Kaur sought to have her statement recorded after regaining consciousness during treatment.
However, no case was registered during the two months Kaur was alive and under treatment,
Punjab police have rejected the allegations, saying that they fully cooperated with the family.
The case was registered after Kaur’s death on Wednesday night.
Police are reportedly examining CCTV footage and other evidence to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping and identify the assailants.
The motive behind the killing has not yet been established.
Kaur has about 1.46 lakh followers on Instagram. She built a following through her social content featuring Punjabi and Haryanvi songs.
