Punjab couple murdered by girl's family in suspected honor killing, 4 arrested

• A man and his lover were found murdered in Punjab's Tarn Taran district
• The deceased have been identified as Husanpreet Singh and Ramandeep Kaur
• The girl's family members have been arrested
• The bodies have been handed over to the families after autopsy

In yet another case of suspected honor killing, a man and his lover were found dead in Khem Karan in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. The deceased have been identified as 20-year-old Husanpreet Singh and his lover Ramandeep Kaur and it is believed that the girl's family was behind the killing.

While Husanpreet's body was found in a drain near Ramandeep's uncle's house, the woman's body was found bundled in a tarpaulin sheet inside the house, reported Hindustan Times.

The killing came to light when Husanpreet's father Parwinder Singh filed a complaint with the police and said that his son had gone to feed the buffaloes on Sunday and never returned. His brother then apparently told him Monday, May 14 that he had seen the 20-year-old being dragged towards the accused's house. The man's family reportedly came to know of the affair only then.

The woman's family -- father Jassa Singh, three of his brothers Sher Singh, Harpal Singh and Bohar Singh, his son Aakash, his wife Manjit Kaur, Sher Singh's son Rana, Harpal Singh's wife Manpreet Kaur and Bohar Singh's son Ghulla – have been named as the suspects in the murder.

After the complaint was filed, the Khem Karan police arrested Jassa. And, a senior official, on the condition of anonymity, said that Jassa had confessed to the crime. Jassa also explained that he and his brothers slammed a wooden plank on Husanpreet's head which left him unconscious and then strangled him to death.

The family then turned to Ramandeep and hit her with the same plank. Once she was unconscious, they put some pesticides into her mouth and poisoned her to death.

Four people -- Jassa, Harpal, Manjit and Manpreet – have been arrested and the police have also recovered the wooden plank and other things used as a weapon by Ramandeep's family. Speaking of the incident, DSP Sulakhan Singh Mann told HT: "After conducting the post-mortem, the bodies have been handed over to the family members."

While cases of honor killings are often heard in rural areas, a similar case shocked the capital city of Delhi in February. A 23-year-old photographer was reportedly stabbed to death by the father of the girl he intended to marry.

Ankit Saxena, the victim, was killed on a busy street in Delhi's Raghuveer Nagar around 8.30 pm by the girl's family, who kicked and punched him and stabbed him to death. The accused – the girl's father, uncle and a few relatives – then also slit his throat with a chopper and knives, reported the Times of India.

When Ankit's mother tried to help him, she was attacked by the girl's mother.

The murder was said to be a case of honor killing as Ankit and the girl were from different communities and her family objected to the relationship.