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added new entry - done

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{{Short description|Canadian banker}}
{{infobox person
| name = Rajvinder Kaur Gill
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date text|1971}}
| birth_place = [[Punjab, India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|08|31|1971|09|12}}
| death_place = [[Sheikhupura]], [[Lahore]], [[Pakistan]]
| other_names =
| known_for = mysterious disappearance
| occupation = [[banker]]
}}

'''Rajvinder Kaur Gill''' was a [[Canadian]] [[banker]] who disappeared on a trip to Pakistan in August 2012.<ref name=AsianJournal2013-01-07>
{{cite news
|url = http://www.asianjournal.ca/jan%204_13/ot_head1.html
|title = Ravinder Kaur Gill was allegedly strangled to death in Pakistan, body has yet to be recovered: Gill was a distant relative of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal
|publisher = [[Asian Journal (Philippines)|Asian Journal]]
|date = 2013-01-07
|archivedate = 2013-01-10
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130110055906/http://www.asianjournal.ca/jan%204_13/ot_head1.html
|url-status=dead
|quote = He quoted Sikander as saying that his daughter had fallen in love with a man on the Internet who had introduced himself as Krishna from Lahore. Bhatti said Singh had told him that his daughter went to Lahore to meet Krishna. It was not clear whether Krishna "was an imposter or not".
}}
</ref><ref name=NationalPost2013-01-02>
{{cite news
|url = https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/rajvinder-kaur-gill-killed-in-pakistan
|title = Missing Canadian businesswoman allegedly drugged, strangled to death in Pakistan over financial dispute: reports
|publisher = [[National Post]]
|date = 2013-01-02
|archive-date = 2013-04-11
|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130411111436/http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/02/rajvinder-kaur-gill-killed-in-pakistan/
|url-status=live
|quote = Since Ms. Gill’s disappearance more than five months ago, her father Sikander Singh Gill has been lobbying Pakistani officials to widen their investigation in the case. In an emotional Facebook message posted on Dec. 21, Sikander Singh Gill pleaded for the public’s help in finding his daughter.
}}
</ref><ref name=Canoe2013-01-02>
{{cite news
|url = http://cnews.canoe.com/CNEWS/Canada/2013/01/02/pf-20466961.html
|title = Missing Indian-Cdn murdered in Pakistan: Reports
|publisher = [[Canoe.com]]
|author =
|date = 2013-01-02
|quote = Police were ordered to provide court with an update into their investigation after Gill's father, Sikandar Singh Gill, appealed to authorities, reports the Indian Express.
}}{{dead link|date=April 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
</ref><ref name=TheProvince2013-01-02>
{{cite news
|url = http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/pakistan/crime-b-c-businesswoman-41-murdered-in-pakistan-over-money-dispute-says-lawyer/426919/
|title = CRIME: Missing B.C. banker, 41, murdered in Pakistan over money dispute, says lawyer
|publisher = [[The Province]]
|author = Cheryl Chan
|date = 2013-01-02
|location = [[Vancouver]]
|archivedate = 2013-04-12
|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20130412032641/http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/pakistan/crime-b-c-businesswoman-41-murdered-in-pakistan-over-money-dispute-says-lawyer/426919/
|url-status=dead
|quote = A desperate five-month search for a missing Canadian woman has ended in tragedy for her family in B.C.
}}
</ref>

==Biography==

Newspapers from Pakistan identify Gill as a member of the [[Sikh religion]].<ref name="AsianJournal2013-01-07" /><ref name="TheNews2013-01-03" /> According to Gill's family, she was an immigrant to Canada.<ref name=AsianJournal2013-01-07/><ref name="indianexpress.com">{{Cite web |date=2017-12-10 |title=Pakistani court acquits man of Indian-Canadian woman's murder |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/pakistani-court-acquits-man-of-indian-canadian-womans-murder-4976462/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

Gill had worked for the [[Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce]] until 2006, when she moved to [[Switzerland]] and worked for [[merchant bank]] firms [[Merrill Lynch]], [[UBS]] and [[EFG Bank]].<ref name="TheProvince2013-01-02" /> Gill was reported to have resigned her job shortly before her final trip.<ref name="AsianJournal2013-01-07" />

==Travel to Pakistan==

Gill applied for a visa to Pakistan from [[Dubai]] on August 12, 2012.<ref name=NDTV2013-01-01>
{{cite news
|url = http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/woman-of-indian-origin-missing-in-pakistan-lahore-high-court-summons-police-chief-311918
|title = Woman of Indian origin missing in Pakistan; Lahore High Court summons police chief
|publisher = [[NDTV]]
|author = Sindhu Manjesh
|date = 2013-01-01
|location = [[Lahore]]
|archivedate = 2013-01-04
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130104095802/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/woman-of-indian-origin-missing-in-pakistan-lahore-high-court-summons-police-chief-311918
|url-status=dead
|quote = The father of a Canadian woman of Indian origin, who has been missing in Pakistan for nearly five months, appeared before the Lahore High Court on Monday, as he continued his attempts to trace his daughter, Rajvinder Kaur Gill. The court, hearing his plea, has directed the Lahore police chief to appear before it on Wednesday and step up efforts to trace Ms Gill.
}}
</ref> She flew into [[Lahore]] on August 25, 2012.<ref name="EastWestNews2013-01-02">
{{cite news |date=2013-01-02 |title=Canadian woman Rajvindar Kaur Gill, who went missing in Pakistan in August, murdered |url=http://newseastwest.com/has-canadian-woman-rajvindar-kaur-who-went-missing-in-pakistan-been-killed/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106071613/http://newseastwest.com/has-canadian-woman-rajvindar-kaur-who-went-missing-in-pakistan-been-killed/ |archivedate=2013-01-06 |publisher=[[News East West]] |location=[[Lahore]] |quote=Rajvindar Kaur Gill, 41, who was a businesswoman from British Columbia dealing in gems, came to Pakistan on August 25 last year and went missing the same day. }}
</ref>

There are different theories about why Gill had gone to Pakistan, including to settle a long-standing debt,<ref name=TheNews2013-01-03>
{{cite news
|url = http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-5-152091-LHC-orders-investigation-into-Sikh-womans-murder
|title = LHC orders investigation into Sikh woman's murder
|publisher = [[The News International]]
|date = 2013-01-03
|location = [[Lahore]]
|archivedate = 2013-01-05
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130105052926/http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-5-152091-LHC-orders-investigation-into-Sikh-womans-murder
|url-status=dead
|quote = He added Ghazanfer was on the run and had reached Germany and police had initiated the process of his arrest through Interpol. The CCPO’s reply said that according to the initial interrogation of accused, Ghazanfar had called the Sikh woman to Pakistan as there was some monetary dispute between both.
}}
</ref> attend a conference,<ref name="HinduStanTimes2012-11-17">
{{cite news |date=2012-11-17 |title=Pak looks for Sukhbir's missing relative in Lahore |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Pak-looks-for-Sukhbir-s-missing-relative-in-Lahore/SP-Article1-960431.aspx |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118175057/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Pak-looks-for-Sukhbir-s-missing-relative-in-Lahore/SP-Article1-960431.aspx |archivedate=2012-11-18 |publisher=[[Hindustan Times]] |location=[[Lahore]] |quote=Rajvinder Kaur Gill, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, went missing shortly after she arrived in Lahore last August to attend a conference. Her father, Sikandar Singh, wrote a letter to Badal, seeking the Deputy chief minister's help in finding his daughter. }}
</ref> meet with a romantic interest,<ref name=AsianJournal2013-01-07/> and look for and purchase precious gemstones.<ref name=DailyTimes2013-01-08>
{{cite news
|url = http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\01\08\story_8-1-2013_pg13_6
|title = Murder of Canadian woman : LHC orders police to arrest main accused
|publisher = [[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]
|date = 2013-01-08
|location = [[Lahore]]
|archivedate = 2013-04-16
|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20130416085822/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013%5C01%5C08%5Cstory_8-1-2013_pg13_6
|url-status=dead
|quote = The judge disposed of the petition after DSP Khalid Abu Bakar said that police had lodged the murder case and recovered a laptop of the deceased woman from Shahzad. He said family of the deceased has also identified her laptop and police would scan record in it.
}}
</ref> According to her sister, Gill had been participating on an online dating service, called [[Shaadi.com]], and the real purpose of her trip was to meet one or more of her online romantic interests for the first time.<ref name="EastWestNews2013-01-02" /><ref name="HinduStanTimes2012-11-17" /> The Pakistani newspaper ''[[The Nation (Pakistan)|The Nation]]'' reported that Gill possessed over $5 million [[United States dollar|USD]] at the time of her disappearance.<ref name=TheNation2013-01-01/>

===Disappearance===

Gill's family reported that they had received text messages from Gill when she arrived in Pakistan and on August 26 and 27. They provided her cell phone records to the authorities demonstrating that the last message she sent was to the Pakistani television personality she had met through an online dating site.<ref name=TheNation2013-01-01>
{{cite news
|url = https://www.nation.com.pk/01-Jan-2013/lhc-orders-ccpo-to-appear-tomorrow
|title = LHC orders CCPO to appear tomorrow
|publisher = [[The Nation (Pakistan)]]
|author = Mian Dawood
|date = 2013-01-01
|location = [[Lahore]]
|archive-date = 2013-01-08
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130108035347/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/01-Jan-2013/lhc-orders-ccpo-to-appear-tomorrow
|url-status=live
|quote = A family member of Rajvindar, who has also reached Pakistan in search of her, says she has 5 million US dollars in her Switzerland’s bank and was keen on collecting diamonds and precious stones as well.
}}
</ref>

However, several reports of the confession of one of the suspects in her murders have him describing picking Gill up at Lahore's airport, and driving her directly to the kill-site on August 25.<ref name=EastWestNews2013-01-02/>

''[[Tribune India]]'' reported she disappeared on August 31, after staying in three separate hotels and after meeting with "some unidentified people".<ref name=TribuneIndia2012-11-29>
{{cite news
|url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121130/punjab.htm#12
|title = Sukhbir's missing relative: Spy agencies' hand suspected
|publisher = [[Tribune India]]
|date = 2012-11-29
|location = [[Lahore]]
|accessdate =
|archivedate = 2013-01-11
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130111095916/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121130/punjab.htm#12
|url-status=dead
|quote = The police recommended to the provincial government that a joint investigation team should be set up for a further probe. However, a police source said the possibility of Rajvinder being in the custody of intelligence agencies could not be ruled out.
}}
</ref>

== Murder investigation ==
Gill's family reported her disappearance to Canadian officials, and they did their best to report her disappearance to Pakistani officials.<ref name="AsianJournal2013-01-07" />
Eventually, her father traveled to Pakistan so that he could make sure a satisfactory inquiry was conducted.
According to the ''[[Express Tribune]]'', Assistant Advocate General [[Arib Yaqoob]] filed a report with magistrates on December 6, 2012, which said that Gill was still not officially considered "missing".<ref name="EastWestNews2013-01-02" /><ref name="ExpressTribune2013-01-01">
{{cite news
|url = http://tribune.com.pk/story/487180/missing-canadian-rajvinder-kaur-contacted-malik-warraich-before-reaching-pakistan/
|title = Missing Canadian: Rajvinder Kaur contacted Malik, Warraich before reaching Pakistan
|publisher = [[Express Tribune]]
|author = Rana Tanveer
|date = 2013-01-01
|location = [[Lahore]]
|accessdate = 2013-02-07
|archivedate = 2013-02-05
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130205011146/http://tribune.com.pk/story/487180/missing-canadian-rajvinder-kaur-contacted-malik-warraich-before-reaching-pakistan/
|url-status=dead
|quote = Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan issued the order after going through a report filed by the CCPO through Assistant Advocate General Arif Yaqoob. The report stated that on December 6, he was informed about the missing woman. He said the city police had no information about Kaur’s whereabouts and that she was not wanted in any case. The judge said he was shocked that despite the matter being in the notice of the chief minister, there had been no progress on it.
}}
</ref>

On November 17, 2012, the ''[[Tribune India]]'' reported that Pakistan was going to initiate an inquiry after Gill's father Sikandar Singh requested help from [[Indian Punjab]]'s [[Deputy Chief Minister of Indian Punjab|Deputy Chief Minister]] [[Sukhbir Singh Badal]], a distant relative.<ref name="TribuneIndia2012-11-17">
{{cite news
| url = https://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121118/punjab.htm#6
| title = Pakistan looking for Badal family's missing relative
| publisher = [[Tribune India]]
| date = 2012-11-17
| location = [[Lahore]]
| quote = Pakistan has launched an investigation to trace a distant female relative of Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Deputy Chief Minister of Indian Punjab, who has been missing in Lahore for the past two-and-half months.
}}
</ref> On November 29, 2012, ''Tribune India'' quoted a police official to the effect that "the possibility of Rajvinder being in the custody of intelligence agencies could not be ruled out."<ref name="TribuneIndia2012-11-29" />

There were two primary suspects: Hafiz Shahzad Hussain and Shahid Ghazanfar.<ref name="AsianJournal2013-01-07" />

===Hafiz Shahzad Hussain===

Hafiz was apprehended and interrogated by Pakistan's [[Intelligence Bureau (Pakistan)|Intelligence Bureau]], and was reported to have given an account of her murder. According to the Pakistani officials, in that confession his cousin Shahid owed Gill a large sum of money, and offered to pay him for help killing her. He confessed they lured her on a car trip to view gems, where Shahid first covertly served Gill tea laced with a sedative, so she wouldn't struggle, and then strangled her. He confessed to helping dump her body in a rural canal.<ref name="TheProvince2012-01-03">
{{cite news
|url = https://theprovince.com/news/admits+killing+Canadian/7769214/story.html
|title = Man admits to killing Canadian: Dad of victim 'went into shock' upon hearing of daughter's brutal murder
|publisher = [[The Province]]
|author = Cheryl Chan
|date = 2013-01-03
|archivedate = 2013-02-08
|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/6EGjZ0Tua?url=http://www.theprovince.com/news/admits%20killing%20Canadian/7769214/story.html
|url-status=dead
|quote = According to local media, Hafiz Shahzad Hussain had confessed to killing Gill with his cousin Shahid Ghazanfar, a German national. Hussain told police his cousin owed Gill money and that he invited her to Lahore to attend a diamond auction.
}}
</ref> Hafiz had Gill's laptop when he was apprehended.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-01-09 |title=Pakistani authorities seek Interpol's help to nab Canadian Sikh woman's killer |url=https://sikhsiyasat.net/5791-pakistani-authorities-seek-interpols-help-to-nab-canadian-sikh-womans-killer/ |access-date=2022-04-26 |website=Sikh Siyasat News |language=en |quote=A police official told the court that a laptop belonging to Rajvinder Kaur Gill had been recovered from one of the accused involved in the murder.}}</ref>

In 2017, a Pakistani court acquitted Hafiz Shahzad of Gill's murder due to lack of evidence against him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mall |first=Rattan |title=Pakistani court acquits man of murder of Indo-Canadian Rajvinder Kaur Gill {{!}} Indo-Canadian Voice |date=11 December 2017 |url=https://voiceonline.com/pakistani-canadian-rajvinder/ |access-date=2022-04-26 |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress.com"/>

===Shahid Ghazanfar===
Ghazanfar, the naturalized German citizen, was reported to have escaped to Germany.<ref name="TheNation2013-01-08">
{{cite news
|url = https://www.nation.com.pk/08-Jan-2013/sikh-woman-murder-case-disposed-of
|title = Sikh woman murder case disposed of
|publisher = [[The Nation (Pakistan)]]
|date = 2013-01-08
|location = [[Lahore]]
|archive-date = 2013-01-15
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130115022727/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/lahore/08-Jan-2013/sikh-woman-murder-case-disposed-of
|url-status=live
|quote = Justice Sardar Tariq Masood disposed of the petition after statement of DSP Khalid Abu Bakar saying that they had registered FIR and arrested nominated accused Hafiz Shehzad Hussain. He said they also had recovered laptop of the deceased from his custody.
}}
</ref>

On January 7, 2013, the [[Lahore High Court]] directed Pakistani police to call upon [[Interpol]] to seek out and arrest Ghazanfar<ref name=TheNews2013-01-03/><ref name=TheNation2013-01-08/> and to request Canada and Switzerland to freeze Gill's bank accounts.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} The police confirmed that one of the suspect's aliases was Karishna Roy.<ref name=TheNation2013-01-08/>

As of March 1, 2013, Ghazanfar is in the custody of German police. On November 6, 2024, a trial against the accused began at the Cologne Regional Court in Germany. The trial is taking place in Cologne because the accused last lived there. The prosecution is alleging murder, which the accused denies having committed.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} In 2017, the Toronto Sun had reported that Ghazanfar was facing trial in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=Man acquitted in murder-for-hire plot that killed Canadian woman |work=torontosun |url=https://torontosun.com/news/world/man-acquitted-in-murder-for-hire-plot-that-killed-canadian-woman}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Rajvinder Kaur}}
[[Category:Canadian bankers]]
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian people murdered abroad]]
[[Category:People murdered in Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Foreign hostages in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Canada–Pakistan relations]]
[[Category:Indian people murdered abroad]]

Rajvinder Kaur Gill - Revision history

SherleneGirardi: added new entry - done