Latest news with #Harpreet
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Man robs 72-year-old woman inside her Sector 22 house
A 72-year-old woman, living alone in Sector 22-B, was allegedly robbed at knifepoint inside her house on Saturday night, moments after she returned home from a hospital visit. The accused, who entered the house under mysterious circumstances, fled with a purse containing ₹70,000 in cash, important documents and a mobile phone, as per the victim, Harpreet Walia. According to a complaint lodged by her brother-in-law, SS Bajwa, Harpreet was dropped home around 8.30 pm after a hospital visit. Bajwa and his wife, Harpreet's sister, then left for their residence in Mohali. However, within minutes, the family received a frantic call from a neighbour, who informed them that Harpreet had run over to his house, crying and terrified, claiming that an unknown man had entered her home and threatened her with a knife. As per the complaint, the intruder forced his way in and demanded money. Acting swiftly, Harpreet managed to escape to the backyard of the house. Meanwhile, the accused allegedly ransacked the house, took her purse and fled the scene. The stolen purse contained ₹70,000 in cash, a mobile phone, and important personal documents. The family expressed strong suspicion against a man named 'Pandit'. Bajwa stated in his written complaint that they believe he may have been involved in the crime due to previous interactions. 'We had just dropped Harpreet home and were heading back to Mohali when we got the call. She was clearly in shock and afraid for her life,' said Bajwa, adding that it was fortunate she managed to escape any harm. Police have begun collecting CCTV footage from nearby houses and shops to trace the accused. They are also questioning individuals mentioned in the complaint. A case under Section 309 (2) (robbery) of the BNS has been registered at the Sector 17 police station.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Time of India
Armed intruder robs elderly woman at Chandigarh home
Chandigarh: A 72-year-old woman was allegedly robbed at knifepoint inside her own home in Sector 22B on Saturday night, shortly after returning from a hospital. The intruder reportedly fled with a purse containing Rs 70,000 in cash, a mobile phone, and important documents. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The victim, Harpreet Walia, lives alone following the death of her immediate family members. According to a police complaint filed by her brother-in-law, S S Bajwa, Harpreet was just dropped off at her home around 8.30 pm. Minutes after her relatives left for their residence in Mohali, Harpreet was allegedly confronted by an unknown man who entered the house under suspicious circumstances. Startled and frightened, Harpreet reportedly ran to a neighbour's house seeking help. The neighbour immediately contacted her family and alerted the police. She told them that the intruder brandished a knife and demanded money before she managed to escape through the backyard. The accused then allegedly rummaged through the house, seizing her purse and fleeing. In addition to the cash, the stolen bag contained a phone and vital personal documents. The family suspects a man whose name is mentioned in the complaint due to past interactions that raised concerns. Police have registered a case under Section 309(2) of the BNS at the Police Station Sector 17 and are reviewing CCTV footage from nearby locations. MSID:: 121417555 413 |
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Indian Express
Delhi man, kids die by suicide over financial issues: ‘Would've helped if we knew,' say family and friends
Hardeep Singh (39) and his wife, Harpreet Kaur (38), decided to take their lives after what, police said, was a long financial struggle. They decided that their 16-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter would come along with them and follow through with their decision. On Sunday, the family would make their way to a local gurdwara near their factory in Northwest Delhi's Sangam Park and stay for the night. On Monday morning, they went to the factory where Hardeep ran a horn manufacturing unit. There, they would set down four glasses, pour in some water, add a bright orange powder to it, and drink it. Things were supposed to end there — until the couple's son called his paternal aunt in excruciating pain. According to the family's friends and the police, he told her that the family had ingested poison in an alleged attempt to die by suicide. The aunt would inform the police, who would rush to the spot to take the family to nearby hospitals. 'By the time the police arrived, the boy rushed out of the factory in a panic, shouting out everyone in his family had consumed poison,' said Bharat Bhushan (64), who runs a fog lamp factory right next to Hardeep's car horn unit. 'I'm grateful that the boy unlocked the door from the inside and came out. Otherwise, who knows how or when the police would have managed to find them,' added Bhushan. Hardeep and his children were taken to Hindu Rao Hospital, whereas Harpreet was rushed to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital. Over the course of the day, the children would pass away before Hardeep's demise late on Monday night. Harpreet is still battling for her life, informed family members. The alleged suicides came out of the blue for everyone who knew the couple. While the police cited financial distress behind their extreme step, friends and family alike were puzzled. 'Businesses are bad everywhere right now, but not bad enough to take such a step,' said Hemant (44), a friend of the family, adding that had he known of Hardeep's troubles, he would have tried to help him. 'He belonged to the Sikh community, which is so tightly knit. If he had told us about his troubles, I'm sure several people would have been ready to help him — financially and in other ways,' he said. Hardeep's father, Ujagar Singh, couldn't come to terms with his son's decision. 'Business has its ups and downs, sometimes you make profits, sometimes losses. By the grace of God, my son was financially fine. Whenever he needed money for his business, he'd ask me and I'd give it with no hesitation. If he was in trouble, there was no need to do this; he could have found other work,' said the grieving father. Ujagar added that his son previously had a business with a partner exporting spare motor parts, but decided to go his own way and open a manufacturing unit. Friends said the family showed no signs of financial ailments. They earlier lived in Model Town's Mahendru Enclave but shifted to a house bought long ago in Chander Vihar in April. Their children went to reputed private schools and the family, from the outside, seemed to have no troubles paying the fees. Hardeep was also seen as a person with no enemies or ill-wishers. 'He was always positive, always smiling,' said Bhushan, his factory neighbour. Ravi, another family friend, called him 'seedha (straitlaced)'. None of the people he spoke to in the last few days said he showed any indication of stress or depression. According to the police, no suicide note was found at the scene. They are waiting for the wife to regain consciousness to get a full understanding of the circumstances.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-05-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘They killed my baby twice': The women being used and abused for visas
'He said, 'One of my friends is coming back from India and will bring some medicine with him, iron and vitamins, and you can take it and after 15 days, darling, we can go to the doctor.'' After she took the medicine, Harpreet experienced heavy bleeding and was told by her doctor that she had lost the baby. 'They killed my baby two times,' she says. Harpreet reported the man's violent abuse to police and obtained an intervention order. She has a witness to the abuse, and hopes police will speak to them and charges will follow. Her former husband is now in a relationship with another Indian-Australian woman and has applied for a permanent partner visa. Harpreet has given federal immigration authorities details of the intervention order and the charge sheet from his outstanding family violence matter in India. She has also told them he used a fraudulent character reference for the application. 'If I go back to India, I don't feel safe. I don't feel safe if I stay here [and he remains],' says Harpreet, who is experiencing depression and panic attacks. She has had no reply from the Department of Home Affairs to tell her if the information will be considered. Loading A spokesman said it would not comment on the case, but offered the statement: 'Domestic and family violence is not acceptable under any circumstance, and is a crime in Australia.' 'The Department of Home Affairs takes all reports of domestic and family violence seriously. Types of domestic and family violence include forced isolation or economic deprivation, including dowry-related abuse.' For Professor Manjula O'Connor, a Melbourne psychiatrist and founder of the AustralAsian Centre for Human Rights and Health, Harpreet's experience is disturbingly familiar. It has many features that she hears regularly, and the stories have 'an amazing similarity'. 'They are so strikingly similar that there must be an element of coaching going on,' she says. 'This is something commonly experienced by migrant women from many ethnic communities.' O'Connor, a driving force behind the establishment of a Senate committee inquiry into the practice of dowry and economic abuse in Australia, says gaining access to visas and large dowries is a well-known tactic. 'Definitely she [Harpreet] was exploited by him to get an Australian visa. I have heard similar from patients before who have felt it was clearly for a visa because as soon as the visa came through as a permanent resident the man changed completely,' says O'Connor. 'Almost within a day.' 'These men have really no intention of respecting the social contract of marriage.' Harpreet's is one in a series of visa-based abuse, family violence and dowry abuse examples against Indian women living in Australia who are being exploited, but who O'Connor says are not receiving enough action from police or immigration authorities. 'As soon as the visa came through as a permanent resident the man changed completely – almost within a day.' Professor Manjula O'Connor, founder of the AustralAsian Centre for Human Rights and Health Amrit went to two Melbourne police stations with letters from the state government's Orange Door family violence service, her GP and O'Connor verifying she had appeared distressed and reported violence. She is distraught that no action was taken against her husband. She was raped by him and prevented from seeing family members. He controlled her finances and social media and sent her wage to his relatives. He stole her academic records, identity documents and the gold and money given to Amrit when she married him. As her English is poor, when Amrit finally revealed to her family what was happening, a relative went to police with her. 'She was told that unless she has a video, or recording of him raping her, then nothing could be done because there was not enough evidence,' the relative says. 'I said, she's struggling to survive, he had choked her a few times, beat her … she was not allowed to see friends and family – she was so scared – you want her to record a video and later on, when he comes home and finds out he would kill her.' A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the matter was investigated by a sexual offences team and uniformed police. 'These investigations involved interviewing the accused perpetrator multiple times,' the statement said. 'The complainant was also interviewed on several occasions to ensure police had as much information to progress their investigations as possible … Unfortunately, police were unable to pursue the matter through the courts due to insufficient evidence.' Police successfully applied for an order to protect the complainant, it said, and have advised her they will assess the matter should further information become available. The relative has lodged complaints about the handling of the case by police. Another of O'Connor's current clients, also interviewed by this masthead, is a medical practitioner and victim of physical, sexual and financial abuse by a man who came from India to marry her. She took a loan to cover his visa application. His family moved into her home, and subjected her to coercive control, forcing her to disconnect from her biological family. She was stunned to be arrested at home shortly after her marriage because her husband had lied to police, claiming she had perpetrated physical abuse on him. It meant he was eligible for permanent residency under family violence laws. 'Here is a family violence victim misidentified as a perpetrator, all too common an occurrence among migrant women,' O'Connor said. 'You pre-meditatively look for someone who's vulnerable with a bit of money to marry, then leave them. This should be a crime.' Kittu Randhawa, founder of the NSW-based Indian (Sub-Cont) Crisis & Support Agency, and an anti- dowry abuse campaigner, says perpetrators making false allegations is 'a common trick'. 'They [perpetrators] are ahead of the game; they know what they're doing and know how they are going to get their 'evidence',' says Randhawa. What is known as dowry abuse would be better labelled as 'absolute extortion', she says, and be discussed openly. 'We talk about cultural safety; that should not override [discussion of] criminality. 'This is extortion, its physical abuse, sexual assault, coercive control, sometimes by multiple perpetrators,' Randhawa says. 'You pre-meditatively look for someone who's vulnerable with a bit of money to marry, then leave them. This should be a crime.' Loading What happened to O'Connor's clients is 'just so common', says Ajsela Siskovic, principal lawyer at inTouch Women's Legal Centre. 'Right now our migration agent has a client whose husband demanded a dowry of a few kilos of gold, got her pregnant and then just left her at her father's house,' she says. Another woman's family provide a dowry of $40,000 to $50,000, which her father borrowed to avoid the shame of a cancelled wedding. But when she came to Australia, the woman was subject to 'horrific family violence' and the man tried to gain sole ownership of the house. More training for justice and immigration authorities, and better information provided to those coming to Australia, and to service providers, is needed to improve protections for those at risk, Siskovic says. As things stand, 'a lot of our clients are just broken.' O'Connor says talking about the issue is vital: 'I hope breaking the silence will help expose exploitation by the perpetrators and stop shame and secrecy among the victims,' she says. She wants more done by immigration authorities to investigate claims reported to them, to help prevent offenders being able to repeat the cycle. 'If society and our community gets to know about it, they will start to talk about it openly – where at the moment it's hush-hushed,' she says. 'The problem would more be whether the immigration department is willing to act on it.' * The names of the victim-survivors interviewed face-to-face for this article have been changed as they are still at risk.
The Age
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Age
‘They killed my baby twice': The women being used and abused for visas
'He said, 'One of my friends is coming back from India and will bring some medicine with him, iron and vitamins, and you can take it and after 15 days, darling, we can go to the doctor.'' After she took the medicine, Harpreet experienced heavy bleeding and was told by her doctor that she had lost the baby. 'They killed my baby two times,' she says. Harpreet reported the man's violent abuse to police and obtained an intervention order. She has a witness to the abuse, and hopes police will speak to them and charges will follow. Her former husband is now in a relationship with another Indian-Australian woman and has applied for a permanent partner visa. Harpreet has given federal immigration authorities details of the intervention order and the charge sheet from his outstanding family violence matter in India. She has also told them he used a fraudulent character reference for the application. 'If I go back to India, I don't feel safe. I don't feel safe if I stay here [and he remains],' says Harpreet, who is experiencing depression and panic attacks. She has had no reply from the Department of Home Affairs to tell her if the information will be considered. Loading A spokesman said it would not comment on the case, but offered the statement: 'Domestic and family violence is not acceptable under any circumstance, and is a crime in Australia.' 'The Department of Home Affairs takes all reports of domestic and family violence seriously. Types of domestic and family violence include forced isolation or economic deprivation, including dowry-related abuse.' For Professor Manjula O'Connor, a Melbourne psychiatrist and founder of the AustralAsian Centre for Human Rights and Health, Harpreet's experience is disturbingly familiar. It has many features that she hears regularly, and the stories have 'an amazing similarity'. 'They are so strikingly similar that there must be an element of coaching going on,' she says. 'This is something commonly experienced by migrant women from many ethnic communities.' O'Connor, a driving force behind the establishment of a Senate committee inquiry into the practice of dowry and economic abuse in Australia, says gaining access to visas and large dowries is a well-known tactic. 'Definitely she [Harpreet] was exploited by him to get an Australian visa. I have heard similar from patients before who have felt it was clearly for a visa because as soon as the visa came through as a permanent resident the man changed completely,' says O'Connor. 'Almost within a day.' 'These men have really no intention of respecting the social contract of marriage.' Harpreet's is one in a series of visa-based abuse, family violence and dowry abuse examples against Indian women living in Australia who are being exploited, but who O'Connor says are not receiving enough action from police or immigration authorities. 'As soon as the visa came through as a permanent resident the man changed completely – almost within a day.' Professor Manjula O'Connor, founder of the AustralAsian Centre for Human Rights and Health Amrit went to two Melbourne police stations with letters from the state government's Orange Door family violence service, her GP and O'Connor verifying she had appeared distressed and reported violence. She is distraught that no action was taken against her husband. She was raped by him and prevented from seeing family members. He controlled her finances and social media and sent her wage to his relatives. He stole her academic records, identity documents and the gold and money given to Amrit when she married him. As her English is poor, when Amrit finally revealed to her family what was happening, a relative went to police with her. 'She was told that unless she has a video, or recording of him raping her, then nothing could be done because there was not enough evidence,' the relative says. 'I said, she's struggling to survive, he had choked her a few times, beat her … she was not allowed to see friends and family – she was so scared – you want her to record a video and later on, when he comes home and finds out he would kill her.' A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the matter was investigated by a sexual offences team and uniformed police. 'These investigations involved interviewing the accused perpetrator multiple times,' the statement said. 'The complainant was also interviewed on several occasions to ensure police had as much information to progress their investigations as possible … Unfortunately, police were unable to pursue the matter through the courts due to insufficient evidence.' Police successfully applied for an order to protect the complainant, it said, and have advised her they will assess the matter should further information become available. The relative has lodged complaints about the handling of the case by police. Another of O'Connor's current clients, also interviewed by this masthead, is a medical practitioner and victim of physical, sexual and financial abuse by a man who came from India to marry her. She took a loan to cover his visa application. His family moved into her home, and subjected her to coercive control, forcing her to disconnect from her biological family. She was stunned to be arrested at home shortly after her marriage because her husband had lied to police, claiming she had perpetrated physical abuse on him. It meant he was eligible for permanent residency under family violence laws. 'Here is a family violence victim misidentified as a perpetrator, all too common an occurrence among migrant women,' O'Connor said. 'You pre-meditatively look for someone who's vulnerable with a bit of money to marry, then leave them. This should be a crime.' Kittu Randhawa, founder of the NSW-based Indian (Sub-Cont) Crisis & Support Agency, and an anti- dowry abuse campaigner, says perpetrators making false allegations is 'a common trick'. 'They [perpetrators] are ahead of the game; they know what they're doing and know how they are going to get their 'evidence',' says Randhawa. What is known as dowry abuse would be better labelled as 'absolute extortion', she says, and be discussed openly. 'We talk about cultural safety; that should not override [discussion of] criminality. 'This is extortion, its physical abuse, sexual assault, coercive control, sometimes by multiple perpetrators,' Randhawa says. 'You pre-meditatively look for someone who's vulnerable with a bit of money to marry, then leave them. This should be a crime.' Loading What happened to O'Connor's clients is 'just so common', says Ajsela Siskovic, principal lawyer at inTouch Women's Legal Centre. 'Right now our migration agent has a client whose husband demanded a dowry of a few kilos of gold, got her pregnant and then just left her at her father's house,' she says. Another woman's family provide a dowry of $40,000 to $50,000, which her father borrowed to avoid the shame of a cancelled wedding. But when she came to Australia, the woman was subject to 'horrific family violence' and the man tried to gain sole ownership of the house. More training for justice and immigration authorities, and better information provided to those coming to Australia, and to service providers, is needed to improve protections for those at risk, Siskovic says. As things stand, 'a lot of our clients are just broken.' O'Connor says talking about the issue is vital: 'I hope breaking the silence will help expose exploitation by the perpetrators and stop shame and secrecy among the victims,' she says. She wants more done by immigration authorities to investigate claims reported to them, to help prevent offenders being able to repeat the cycle. 'If society and our community gets to know about it, they will start to talk about it openly – where at the moment it's hush-hushed,' she says. 'The problem would more be whether the immigration department is willing to act on it.' * The names of the victim-survivors interviewed face-to-face for this article have been changed as they are still at risk.
