Police say the 66-year-old was drugged, beaten to death and his body dumped in a canal as part of a conspiracy linked to a long-running family property row
A 66-year-old Australian-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI), who was reported missing in Punjab last month, has been found murdered in a case that police say was driven by a bitter property dispute involving close family members.
Punjab Police have recovered the body of Sunil Sharma from a canal near Harike and arrested four people, including his brother, sister-in-law and nephew, in connection with the killing.
Sharma, a mathematics teacher based in Melbourne, had travelled to Amritsar to supervise renovation and maintenance work at his home. He was reported missing on 22 May, prompting police to register a kidnapping case and launch an investigation.
Speaking at a press conference, Amritsar Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwalpreet Singh said investigators found that Sharma had been given sleeping pills before being fatally struck on the head with a baseball bat. His body was later disposed of in the canal in an alleged attempt to destroy evidence.
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According to police, the investigation revealed that Sharma’s brother, Satish Sharma, had allegedly persuaded him to travel to India under the pretext of selling property
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Officers claim Satish had prepared a forged power of attorney in Ludhiana and attempted to sell several of the victim’s assets, including a house in Amritsar’s Aishana Estate
Police also pointed to an ongoing dispute between the brothers over a high-value property in Mohali reportedly worth more than Rs 4 crore.
The breakthrough came after investigators tracked and arrested Satish Sharma, his wife Anushka Sharma and their son in Delhi. A local property dealer, Lakshman Singh Bal, has also been named as an accused in the case.
While the main suspects are in custody, police said two other individuals remain absconding and efforts are continuing to locate them.
The case attracted widespread attention after Sharma’s daughter, Surbhi Sharma, issued a public appeal from Australia seeking help in tracing her father. She said his phone became unreachable on the afternoon of 22 May and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. Her appeal also raised concerns about the movements of a relative near the time of the disappearance.
