A 32-year-old man has been arrested seven months after a 30-year-old Indian-origin woman Himanshi Khurana was found dead in a house in Toronto, police said on Saturday, adding that the two were known to each other.
The accused, Abdul Ghafoori, has been charged with first degree murder after he was arrested on August 7, from a Toronto airport.
“Members of the Toronto Police Fugitive Squad and Homicide and Missing Persons Unit liaised with national and international policing partners to facilitate the accused’s return to Canada,” the police said in a statement. However, it did not mention which country he had fled to after allegedly committing the murder.
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Canadian law enforcement had issued a countrywide warrant for Ghafoori’s arrest after the murder was reported in December last year.
The first-degree murder charge can attract a life sentence without parole if the prosecution can prove premeditation and intent.
{{/usCountry}}The first-degree murder charge can attract a life sentence without parole if the prosecution can prove premeditation and intent.
{{/usCountry}}On December 19, Toronto Police officers responded to a call to locate a missing person.
A day later, at around 6.30 am, “officers located the missing female deceased inside a residence,” a release from Toronto Police at the time stated.
It added that the death was classified as a homicide. As a result, the service’s Homicide Unit assumed charge of the investigation. The suspect and the victim “were in an intimate partner relationship," CP24 reported, citing Toronto Police.
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The cops could ascertain her identity only two days later, following which they zeroed in on Ghafoori as a prime police were on a hunt to nab Ghafoori, the prime accused in the case.
Khurana was later identified as an Indian national by the Consulate General in Toronto. In a statement on X, the Consulate said, “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of Ms Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto.”
Extending its “deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief”, the Consulate had added it had “been in close touch with the matter over the past few days, and all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities.”
Last month, a 26-year-old woman, identified as Navneet Kaur, was reportedly shot dead in Canada's Toronto. While the Toronto Police and local Canadian reports didn't confirm her nationality, she is believed to be of Indian-origin.
The suspect was identified as 37-year-old Brampton resident Sharnjeet Singh, also believed to be of Indian descent. The two had a brief interaction before the suspect shot Navneet.
According to Toronto Police, the incident took place at around 7:23am on July 24 at the Humberwood Boulevard and Rexdale Boulevard intersection. “Sharnjeet Singh, 37, of Brampton, has been arrested and charged with First Degree Murder and and Failure to Comply with Undertaking,” the police said.