Surjit Kaur Athwal. Source of pic: Metropolitan police UK
When Sarbjit was arranged to marry into her husband’s family, she got to meet Surjit, her sister-in-law.
Even though they lived in modern West London, their families stayed true to their traditional Sikhs values and believed that arranged marriages were honourable for families.
According to Daily Mail, it was not long after Sarbjit’s marriage that she sensed something amiss about her mother-in-law, Bachan Kaur.
Servants in the family
The Daily Mail article alleges that Surjit and Sarbjit were treated like servants in the family. Surjit, the more defiant of the two, showed her discontent openly. She attempted to move out, but was eventually tracked down by her husband and received a beating.
Three years later, Surjit got pregnant and her husband accused her of infidelity.
A trip to die for
Bachan Kaur
Mother-in-law Bachan, decided to take Surjit to India after the infidelity accusations initially took place. It was the last time Sarbjit ever saw her sister-in-law.
“It’s all going to be taken care of. It’s her own fault—she’s out of control,’ Bachan said. “Surjit has brought shame to the family. We must get rid of her.”
A month after Surjit’s disappearance, Bachan told Sarbjit that two men, who were supposed to drive Surjit to go shopping in India ended up poisoning her. While she was unconscious, they strangled her, took her jewellery and threw her body into the Ravi River.
It was obvious that her evil mother-in-law hired these two men to “take care” of Surjit. Surjit’s husband had been telling his children for years that their mother had ran away and abandoned the family since her disappearance. He also tried to claim Surjit’s £100,000 life insurance.
After years of living in fear, Sarbjit assisted the police behind her mother-in-law’s back. Bachan also threatened to send Sarbjit away when she suspected Sarbjit was aiding the police investigation. Bachan and Surjit’s husband were finally found guilty and arrested for murder after nine years.
