Headless body case ‘well organised, not likely crime of passion’
Gursharan Singh (in red) being taken to Whampoa Canal on 20 Dec 2013 to retrace his steps. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — He told his accomplice it was a crime of passion, sparked by jealousy over his wife speaking to another man over the phone.
However, the Coroner’s Court today (July 28) heard that little traces of blood were found at the crime scene, and the body of Jasvinder Kaur, who was found with her head and hands missing, had apparently been bled out before it was packed into a suitcase.
“It seems very well organised for a crime of passion,” said State Coroner Marvin Bay, as he delivered his findings in the case.
The death of Jasvinder, a beautician, was classified as an unlawful killing by a known person — in this case, her husband Harvinder Singh, who remains at large.
Jasvinder’s body was found in a canal near McNair Road on Dec 12, 2013. Harvinder, 35, an Indian national, is alleged to have murdered her in their room in Balestier.
An accomplice, 27-year-old Gursharan Singh, was jailed for 30 months in April for helping to get rid of the body, after initially being charged with murder.
Gursharan, an Indian national, said Harvinder had struck his wife out of anger when he heard her speaking to another man surreptitiously over the phone, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Roy Lim told the court today.
Harvinder, said DSP Lim, is believed to have severed Jasvinder’s head and hands, and disposed them separately, so it would be difficult to identify her body.
Investigators found little traces of blood in the couple’s room, which had nearly been cleared out by the time they arrived. Some women’s clothing and make-up were strewn across the room, but no signs of struggle were found.
Gursharan told investigators that Harvinder, whom he was friends with, had approached him at the Central Sikh Temple off Serangoon Road for help in moving some belongings on Dec 11. During the move, Gursharan, while lifting the suitcase, realised it was too heavy to contain only clothes.
This was when Harvinder allegedly revealed that the suitcase contained his wife’s body, saying the couple had fought over the phone call and Jasvinder died after being punched by him.
Gursharan helped move the suitcase to the Whampoa River, where it was dumped.
The body was retrieved 15 to 18 hours after Jasvinder was killed, with signs of rigor mortis setting in.
Eighteen external injuries were found, some of which had been inflicted by heavy cutting equipment.
About 30 investigators trawled through five tonnes of rubbish at the Tuas South Incineration Plant, but to date, these body parts have not been recovered. Due to the missing head, the cause of death remains unknown.
Harvinder Singh, who fled from Singapore to Malaysia on Dec 12, 2013, is on Interpol’s wanted list. He was last known to have travelled to India, but the authorities overseas could not shed light on his whereabouts.
