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Rajvinder Kaur Gill was a Canadian banker who disappeared on a trip to Pakistan in August 2012.[1][2][3][4] According to the Pakistani newspaper The Nation, Gill possessed over $5 million USD at the time of her disappearance.[5]
Rajvinder Kaur Gill | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 |
| Died | August 31, 2012 (aged 40) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | banker |
| Known for | mysterious disappearance |
Biography
editNewspapers from Pakistan identify Gill as a member of the Sikh religion.[1][6] According to Gill's family, she was an immigrant to Canada.[1][7]
Gill had worked for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce until 2006, when she moved to Switzerland and worked for merchant bank firms Merrill Lynch, UBS and EFG Bank.[4] Gill was reported to have resigned her job shortly before her final trip.[1]
Travel to Pakistan
editGill applied for a visa to Pakistan from Dubai on August 12, 2012.[8] She flew into Lahore on August 25, 2012.[9]
There are different theories about why Gill had gone to Pakistan, including to settle a long-standing debt,[6] attend a conference,[10] meet with a romantic interest,[1] and look for and purchase precious gemstones.[11] According to her sister, Gill had been participating on an online dating service, called Shaadi.com, and the real purpose of her trip was to meet one or more of her online romantic interests for the first time.[9][10]
Disappearance
editGill's family reported that they had received text messages from Gill when she arrived in Pakistan and on August 26 and 27. They provided her cell phone records to the authorities demonstrating that the last message she sent was to the Pakistani television personality she had met through an online dating site.[5]
However, several reports of the confession of one of the suspects in her murders have him describing picking Gill up at Lahore's airport, and driving her directly to the kill-site on August 25.[9]
Tribune India reported she disappeared on August 31, after staying in three separate hotels and after meeting with "some unidentified people".[12]
Murder investigation
editGill's family reported her disappearance to Canadian officials, and they did their best to report her disappearance to Pakistani officials.[1] Eventually, her father traveled to Pakistan so that he could make sure a satisfactory inquiry was conducted. According to the Express Tribune, Assistant Advocate General Arib Yaqoob filed a report with magistrates on December 6, 2012, which said that Gill was still not officially considered "missing".[9][13]
On November 17, 2012, the Tribune India reported that Pakistan was going to initiate an inquiry after Gill's father Sikandar Singh requested help from Indian Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, a distant relative.[14] On November 29, 2012, Tribune India quoted a police official to the effect that "the possibility of Rajvinder being in the custody of intelligence agencies could not be ruled out."[12]
There were two primary suspects: Hafiz Shahzad Hussain and Shahid Ghazanfar.[1]
Hafiz Shahzad Hussain
editHafiz was apprehended and interrogated by Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau, and was reported to have given an account of her murder. According to the Pakistani officials, in that confession his cousin Shahid owed Gill a large sum of money, and offered to pay him for help killing her. He confessed they lured her on a car trip to view gems, where Shahid first covertly served Gill tea laced with a sedative, so she wouldn't struggle, and then strangled her. He confessed to helping dump her body in a rural canal.[15]
Hafiz had Gill's laptop when he was apprehended.[16]
In 2017, a Pakistani court acquitted Hafiz Shahzad, accused of killing her, due to lack of evidence against him.[17][7]
Shahid Ghazanfar
editShahid, the naturalized German citizen, was reported to have escaped to Germany.[18]
On January 7, 2013, the Lahore High Court directed Pakistani police to call upon Interpol to seek out and arrest Shahid.[6][18] The High Court directed Pakistani police to request Canada and Switzerland to freeze Gill's bank accounts.
The police confirmed that one of Shahid's aliases was Karishna Roy.[18] As of March 1, 2013, Krishna Rio alias Shahid Ghaznafar is in German Police custody, and German police have taken over lead investigation on the case. Their team is going to Pakistan for further investigation.[citation needed]
On November 6, 2024, a trial against the accused began at the Cologne Regional Court in Germany. The trial is taking place in Cologne because the accused last lived there. The prosecution is alleging murder, which the accused denies having committed.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g
"Ravinder Kaur Gill was allegedly strangled to death in Pakistan, body has yet to be recovered: Gill was a distant relative of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal". Asian Journal. 2013-01-07. Archived from the original on 2013-01-10.
He quoted Sikander as saying that his daughter had fallen in love with a man on the Internet who had introduced himself as Krishna from Lahore. Bhatti said Singh had told him that his daughter went to Lahore to meet Krishna. It was not clear whether Krishna "was an imposter or not".
- ^
"Missing Canadian businesswoman allegedly drugged, strangled to death in Pakistan over financial dispute: reports". National Post. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11.
Since Ms. Gill's disappearance more than five months ago, her father Sikander Singh Gill has been lobbying Pakistani officials to widen their investigation in the case. In an emotional Facebook message posted on Dec. 21, Sikander Singh Gill pleaded for the public's help in finding his daughter.
- ^
"Missing Indian-Cdn murdered in Pakistan: Reports". Canoe.com. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2013-04-07.
Police were ordered to provide court with an update into their investigation after Gill's father, Sikandar Singh Gill, appealed to authorities, reports the Indian Express.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b
Cheryl Chan (2013-01-02). "CRIME: Missing B.C. banker, 41, murdered in Pakistan over money dispute, says lawyer". Vancouver: The Province. Archived from the original on 2013-04-12.
A desperate five-month search for a missing Canadian woman has ended in tragedy for her family in B.C.
- ^ a b
Mian Dawood (2013-01-01). "LHC orders CCPO to appear tomorrow". Lahore: The Nation (Pakistan). Archived from the original on 2013-01-08.
A family member of Rajvindar, who has also reached Pakistan in search of her, says she has 5 million US dollars in her Switzerland's bank and was keen on collecting diamonds and precious stones as well.
- ^ a b c
"LHC orders investigation into Sikh woman's murder". Lahore: The News International. 2013-01-03. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05.
He added Ghazanfer was on the run and had reached Germany and police had initiated the process of his arrest through Interpol. The CCPO's reply said that according to the initial interrogation of accused, Ghazanfar had called the Sikh woman to Pakistan as there was some monetary dispute between both.
- ^ a b "Pakistani court acquits man of Indian-Canadian woman's murder". The Indian Express. 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^
Sindhu Manjesh (2013-01-01). "Woman of Indian origin missing in Pakistan; Lahore High Court summons police chief". Lahore: NDTV. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04.
The father of a Canadian woman of Indian origin, who has been missing in Pakistan for nearly five months, appeared before the Lahore High Court on Monday, as he continued his attempts to trace his daughter, Rajvinder Kaur Gill. The court, hearing his plea, has directed the Lahore police chief to appear before it on Wednesday and step up efforts to trace Ms Gill.
- ^ a b c d
"Canadian woman Rajvindar Kaur Gill, who went missing in Pakistan in August, murdered". Lahore: News East West. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2013-01-06.
Rajvindar Kaur Gill, 41, who was a businesswoman from British Columbia dealing in gems, came to Pakistan on August 25 last year and went missing the same day.
- ^ a b
"Pak looks for Sukhbir's missing relative in Lahore". Lahore: Hindustan Times. 2012-11-17. Archived from the original on 2012-11-18.
Rajvinder Kaur Gill, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, went missing shortly after she arrived in Lahore last August to attend a conference. Her father, Sikandar Singh, wrote a letter to Badal, seeking the Deputy chief minister's help in finding his daughter.
- ^
"Murder of Canadian woman : LHC orders police to arrest main accused". Lahore: Daily Times. 2013-01-08. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16.
The judge disposed of the petition after DSP Khalid Abu Bakar said that police had lodged the murder case and recovered a laptop of the deceased woman from Shahzad. He said family of the deceased has also identified her laptop and police would scan record in it.
- ^ a b
"Sukhbir's missing relative: Spy agencies' hand suspected". Lahore: Tribune India. 2012-11-29. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11.
The police recommended to the provincial government that a joint investigation team should be set up for a further probe. However, a police source said the possibility of Rajvinder being in the custody of intelligence agencies could not be ruled out.
- ^
Rana Tanveer (2013-01-01). "Missing Canadian: Rajvinder Kaur contacted Malik, Warraich before reaching Pakistan". Lahore: Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan issued the order after going through a report filed by the CCPO through Assistant Advocate General Arif Yaqoob. The report stated that on December 6, he was informed about the missing woman. He said the city police had no information about Kaur's whereabouts and that she was not wanted in any case. The judge said he was shocked that despite the matter being in the notice of the chief minister, there had been no progress on it.
- ^
"Pakistan looking for Badal family's missing relative". Lahore: Tribune India. 2012-11-17.
Pakistan has launched an investigation to trace a distant female relative of Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Deputy Chief Minister of Indian Punjab, who has been missing in Lahore for the past two-and-half months.
- ^
Cheryl Chan (2013-01-03). "Man admits to killing Canadian: Dad of victim 'went into shock' upon hearing of daughter's brutal murder". The Province. Archived from the original on 2013-02-08.
According to local media, Hafiz Shahzad Hussain had confessed to killing Gill with his cousin Shahid Ghazanfar, a German national. Hussain told police his cousin owed Gill money and that he invited her to Lahore to attend a diamond auction.
- ^ "Pakistani authorities seek Interpol's help to nab Canadian Sikh woman's killer". Sikh Siyasat News. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
A police official told the court that a laptop belonging to Rajvinder Kaur Gill had been recovered from one of the accused involved in the murder.
- ^ Mall, Rattan (11 December 2017). "Pakistani court acquits man of murder of Indo-Canadian Rajvinder Kaur Gill | Indo-Canadian Voice". Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ a b c
"Sikh woman murder case disposed of". Lahore: The Nation (Pakistan). 2013-01-08. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15.
Justice Sardar Tariq Masood disposed of the petition after statement of DSP Khalid Abu Bakar saying that they had registered FIR and arrested nominated accused Hafiz Shehzad Hussain. He said they also had recovered laptop of the deceased from his custody.