Punjab shocker: Social media influencer Kamal Kaur’s murder linked to moral policing over bold content, use of ‘Kaur’; 2 arrested

BATHINDA: Punjab Police have revealed that social media influencer Kanchan Devi, popularly known as Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, was murdered in Bathinda in a suspected case of moral policing.

The 25-year-old, known for posting bold content on Instagram, was strangled and left inside a locked car near Adesh Medical University. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amneet Kondal said a Nihang, Amritpal Singh Mehro, allegedly conspired to kill Kaur, claiming her social media posts were "spoiling society". He had earlier threatened her and later approached her under the pretext of promoting a video related to cars. On 7 and 8 June, Mehro visited her Ludhiana home and convinced her and her family to agree to the video shoot. On 9 June, he sent his associates, Jaspreet Singh and Nimratjit Singh, in a Scorpio SUV to bring her to Bathinda. Kaur travelled separately in her Hyundai Eon. Near Bathinda, they stopped at a car workshop under the guise of repairing her vehicle. There, the duo reportedly asked her to stop posting ‘vulgar’ content and to drop ‘Kaur’ from her name.

Later, Jaspreet Singh strangled her with a piece of cloth while she was in her car. Her body was placed on the rear seat and the car was left parked at Adesh University. SSP Kondal said the murder likely took place during the night of 9–10 June. Jaspreet and Nimratjit were arrested on Thursday, while Amritpal Singh Mehro remains absconding. A case of murder and destruction of evidence has been registered against all three. Police also revealed that Amritpal and Nimratjit Singh had previously been booked in a similar moral policing case at Dhanaula police station in Barnala district in 2021.