New details have emerged in the case of a 21-year-old Indian student who was tragically murdered in Australia in 2021. According to reports, the victim, Jasmeen Kaur, was subjected to a horrifying ordeal as she was bound by cable ties and buried alive by her former boyfriend in what authorities describe as an “act of revenge.”
The accused, Tarikjot Singh, 23, allegedly stalked and abducted Jasmeen from her workplace in North Plympton before driving her to Flinders Ranges where she was ultimately murdered and buried in a shallow grave. It has been revealed that Tarikjot, who pleaded guilty to the murder charge in February of this year, had an intense obsession with Jasmeen and harboured a desire to marry her, according to the victim’s mother.
Tarikjot Singh, then aged 22, confessed to the murder of his former girlfriend in 2021 and burying her body in a shallow grave in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia on 7 Feb 2023.
During sentencing submissions in the South Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday, Prosecutor Carmen Matteo SC highlighted the terrifying ordeal Jasmeen endured. She emphasised that the young woman was subjected to “absolute terror” following her abduction by Singh from her workplace on March 5, 2021, as reported by ABC News.
On the evening of March 5, 2022, just before 10 p.m., Kaur completed her shift at Southern Cross Homes in North Plympton when, according to the police, she was forcefully abducted by a male.
Months after her death, Kaur’s mother, Rashpal Gathwal, told 7NEWS, “I regret the day I said yes to sending my daughter to Australia. I miss her every day.” Kaur, originally from India, was living with her relatives in Adelaide while working as an aged care assistant and attending nursing school, according to 9 News. After her absence from work was noted, her family was contacted, and she was reported missing.
During the court proceedings, shocking details emerged regarding the level of cruelty inflicted upon the nursing student by her abductor, Tarikjot. The court heard that Jasmeen Kaur endured an “uncommon level of cruelty” as she was abducted, bound with tape and cable ties, and buried alive while blindfolded and fully conscious.
Prosecutor Carmen Matteo provided further insights into the heinous crime committed by Tarikjot. Matteo informed the court that although superficial cuts were made to Jasmeen’s throat, they did not directly cause her death. A post-mortem report indicated that Jasmeen tragically passed away on March 6, 2021. Matteo described the act as “a killing that was committed as an act of vengeance or as an act of revenge.”
In a disturbing turn of events, it was revealed that just hours before the murder took place, Tarikjot was captured on CCTV footage purchasing gloves, cable ties, and a shovel from a hardware store. These purchases, along with other evidence, indicated a premeditated plan behind the killing. According to court records, Tarikjot carried out this horrific act as he was unable to come to terms with the dissolution of their relationship.
Martin Anders, the representative for Tarikjot, argued that his client’s mental state was severely affected following the breakdown of his relationship with Jasmeen. Anders claimed that Tarikjot’s reasoning was “gravely impaired” and that he began experiencing hallucinations after Jasmeen’s tragic demise.
However, Justice Adam Kimber rejected this argument, asserting that Tarikjot’s actions were motivated by a desire to punish Jasmeen for rejecting him. Consequently, Justice Kimber handed down a mandatory life sentence for the crime. The specific duration of the non-parole period will be determined next month. Moreover, murder carries a compulsory minimum non-parole period of 20 years in South Australia.
