A promising Punjabi singer who made her debut at the age of 18, Yashinder Kaur alias Inder Kaur had, for the past three years, stopped doing what she loved the most — singing.

On Tuesday, the decomposed body of 29-year-old Yashinder was recovered from the Neelon canal in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, six days after she went missing. Police said prima facie investigations suggest that her boyfriend-cum-fiancé, Sukhwinder Singh Sukha, allegedly travelled from Canada to India via Nepal to execute the murder with the help of his aides. He shot her in cold blood on May 13 before dumping the body in Neelon Canal, said police.

Yashinder had left her home in Ludhiana’s Mundian area on the evening of May 13, driving her car. Police said she was abducted, murdered and her body dumped in the canal.

The two had reportedly known each other for nearly six years through social media. According to family members, Yashinder later refused to marry Sukhwinder after learning that he was already married and had two children in Canada.

Ludhiana DCP Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said: “As per probe, Sukhwinder shot Yashinder dead with his pistols. Two weapons (30 bore and 45 bore) have been recovered from his accomplices. He fled to Canada after killing her. Both were in relationship but things went terribly wrong. She wanted Sukhwinder to divorce his wife to continue relationship. We have arrested Sukhwinder’s father Pritam Singh for connivance and two friends- Karamjit Singh and Ravinder Singh- who are co-accused in the murder.”

A career cut short

With nearly 50 songs to her credit, including collaborations with popular Punjabi artistes such as Gippy Grewal and Bunty Bains, Yashinder had built a promising career in Punjabi music. But her family says she gradually withdrew from the profession and public life.

“She left her singing career because of him. She confined herself to the house. She stopped singing. And then he killed her. She gave up everything, her career, for this man, but he betrayed her,” her cousin Maninderpal Singh told The Indian Express.

Breaking down while remembering his sister, he said, “Her parents and all of us in the joint family never stopped her from doing anything. She wanted to sing and we wanted her to pursue her career. But she left everything at his insistence. She stopped living.”

Known as Inder Kaur in Punjabi music circles, Yashinder made her debut in 2015 with the track “Teri Shirt Naal Di Chunni”, produced by Bunty Bains. She later worked independently and released several songs, including “Rich Standard”, “Aakad”, “Jija”, “Desi Sirre Da” and “End Jattiye”. In 2020, she sang “Sone Di Wang” with Gippy Grewal.

Yashinder had around 125,000 followers on Instagram. However, her social media activity had reduced significantly in recent years. Her last promotional post for a song, “Sohna Lagda”, was uploaded in October 2023.

‘She wanted to sing again’

Family members said Yashinder had recently begun realising that she was in a “toxic relationship” and was considering a return to music.

“She used to post frequently on Instagram and Snapchat, but then she changed. In the past few months, she had started realising that she was in a toxic relationship. She knew it was a mistake to leave her career for a man. She was planning a comeback. She wanted to sing again,” said Maninderpal.“To keep herself busy, she started a boutique and began designing suits, but singing was her real passion,” he added.

Calling it the family’s “biggest mistake”, he said, “We never stopped her from leaving her career. We trusted her decisions and never interfered. But she was betrayed.”

In her latest reel posted on May 12, just a day before her alleged murder, Yashinder while singing her old track “88 di Bandook”, posted: “Who all remember this song? New track coming soon!”

A life beyond music

Apart from singing, Yashinder loved travelling, often taking solo trips or travelling with her parents. She had visited countries including the UK, Germany and Australia.

“Just two days before she went missing, she was calling cousins and friends to plan a day trip to a water park in Chandigarh. Everyone in the family encouraged her to restart her singing career, but we never imposed anything on her. Once you are a professional performer, it becomes suffocating to remain confined at home,” said Maninderpal.

Bunty Bains, who launched Yashinder in 2015, remembered her as a talented artiste.

“She came to me when she was very young. She was talented and had a melodious voice, so we launched her with ‘Teri Shirt De Naal Di Chunni’. She was also a good stage performer, and I referred her for a few performances, which she did well. Later, she started working independently. After that, I did not meet her again. I was not aware that she had left her career midway. She was a promising talent,” he said.

Maninderpal also recalled her fondness for kunafa and ice cream.

“She would take all of us to popular ice-cream parlours in Ludhiana for kunafa,” he said.

Yashinder’s parents, who live abroad, are returning to India for her last rites. Her two younger brothers, Jotinder and Gurinderpal, live in Ludhiana. The family owns an iron business.