Punjabi singer Inder Kaur, also known as Yashinder Kaur, was allegedly murdered after being abducted at gunpoint in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, police and family members said on Tuesday. Her body was recovered from the Neelo canal earlier in the day, nearly six days after she went missing.

According to the family, the 29-year-old singer had left her residence on May 13 at around 6:30 pm in her white Ford Figo car to buy groceries from the market, but did not return home. After failing to trace her, the family launched a search on their own and later approached the police.

The victim’s brother, Jotinder Singh, alleged that a Canada-based man identified as Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, originally from Moga, had been pressuring Yashinder Kaur to marry him against her wishes. He claimed that the accused, along with his father Pritam Singh, friend Karamjit Singh and several unidentified associates, abducted her at gunpoint on the night of May 13 with the intention of killing her.

The family further alleged that the accused had travelled from Canada to Punjab to execute the crime and fled back to Canada after the murder. Jotinder Singh said Yashinder had recently learnt that Sukhwinder Singh was already married and had children, following which she had refused to marry him. The family believes the abduction and murder were carried out in retaliation for her refusal.

Police said the body was recovered from the Neelo canal and sent to the Civil Hospital in Samrala for post-mortem examination.

SHO Balbir Singh of Jamalpur police station said police received information about a body floating in the canal and immediately reached the spot. “The family members were called to identify the body, following which it was confirmed to be Yashinder Kaur. Further investigation into the case is underway,” he said.