Social media influencer Manjeet Kaur died on August 26th while undergoing treatment at PGI Chandigarh. The 28-year-old was abducted from Chandigarh. The accused then took her to Morinda, tied her to a tree, and set her on fire. She suffered severe burns in the incident. She died after undergoing treatment for approximately 54 days. Based on a complaint from her mother, Kanta Devi, Chandigarh police have registered a case of kidnapping and murder and launched an investigation.
According to Manjeet’s mother, Kanta Devi, late on the night of July 3, Shubhi and Pinda called Manjeet to meet them near a liquor store in Sector 34, Chandigarh. They knew Manjeet beforehand. Upon arriving, they forced him into a car and took him to Morinda, where he was tied to a mulberry tree in the forest and set on fire.
An acquaintance saved his life
After the incident, an acquaintance arrived at the scene, extinguished the flames with a blanket, and rushed her to a hospital in Morinda. From there, she was transferred to Max Hospital in Mohali and then referred to PGI Chandigarh on July 9th. Manjeet remained unconscious for several weeks. Upon regaining consciousness on August 5th, she recounted the entire incident to her family. However, despite treatment, her condition worsened, and she died on August 26th. Her postmortem was conducted at PGI, and her body has been handed over to her family.
Seven-year-old son loses his mother
Manjeet was a resident of Sunny Enclave, Sector 123, Mohali. She was divorced and had a seven-year-old son. She had approximately 146,000 followers on Instagram. She created reels based on Punjabi-Haryanvi songs and content related to cosmetic products. She also had approximately 4,000 subscribers on YouTube. Following Manjeet’s death, her mother, Kanta Devi, went to the Sector 34 police station and filed a complaint. Following Manjeet’s death, the police registered an FIR under sections 140(1) (kidnapping), 103(1) (murder), and 3(5) (shared criminal liability) of the IPC. Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur confirmed that a case of kidnapping and murder has been registered based on the mother’s complaint. The search for the accused is ongoing.
Police accused of not recording statement
Sector-34 police station in-charge, Inspector Shadi Lal, stated that an investigation is underway. The family alleges that after regaining consciousness, Manjeet expressed a desire to record his statement. The PGI police post also informed Kharar Sadar police, but the statement was not recorded. Kharar DSP Ishan Singla denied allegations of negligence, stating that since the incident occurred within Chandigarh’s jurisdiction, Chandigarh police were responsible for taking action. Kharar police cooperated with the family and helped them file an FIR.
Police engaged in search of the accused
Police are reviewing CCTV footage and investigating Manjeet’s Instagram account. The account has surfaced links to disputes with other influencers and some videos containing abusive content against young men. According to police sources, Manjeet was reportedly in a live-in relationship with one of the accused. Chandigarh Police DSP (South) Gurjeet Kaur said that leads have been found regarding the suspects and raids are underway.
