UK Police Charge Indian-Origin Businessman With Wife’s Murder

An Indian-origin businessman in the United Kingdom has been charged with his wife’s murder, three months after her body was discovered in their Wolverhampton home, PTI reported.

West Midlands Police detectives charged Gurpreet Singh, 42, on May 9 with the murder of his wife, 38-year-old Sarbjit Kaur. Singh appeared before the Birmingham Magistrates Court on May 10, where he confirmed his details, with assistance from a Punjabi interpreter.

The prosecution set down their charges, alleging that he killed his wife three months ago, Express and Star reported. The court has remanded Singh in custody.

Kaur, who was found dead by her husband and their two children in their house in Rookery lane, Penn, Wolverhampton on Feb. 16, died from asphyxiation, according to the post-mortem examination.

“This is a murder that has really shocked the local community and we have been working flat-out to move the investigation forward,” detective Chief Inspector Chris Mallett from West Midlands Police’s Homicide Team was quoted as saying by PTI. “This is a significant development and we continue to support Kaur’s many friends and family.”

According to the police, the family property was left ransacked and a number of items had been stolen, when her body was discovered. The scene of the crime led to speculation that she was killed as a result of a burglary gone wrong.

The officers arrested three people in connection with her death, Express Star reported. The men, aged 42 and 32 years, were released pending inquiries in March. A woman, 39, was also arrested but released later without further action.

“Kaur was attacked inside her own home. This is a shocking case, the likes of which are extremely rare, and we have a team of officers working on this murder inquiry to establish what happened and to finding the person or people responsible,” Mallett had said as part of a public appeal for information in February.

The detectives conducted house-to-house inquiries and visited around 500 properties. They asked residents to complete a questionnaire about what they may have seen on the day Kaur was murdered, the police website said.

Investigations revealed that Singh was the last person to see Kaur on Feb.16 before she was found dead by paramedics. Singh heads Dhanda Properties business in Wolverhampton area.