Kirandeep Kaur, hails from Bedi village in Tarn Taran district of Punjab.
The younger sister of Kirandeep Kaur, the 24-year-old Punjabi woman who was stabbed to death inside her west London home earlier this month, described the loss as devastating, saying the family had been financially dependent on her and now just wanted justice and her body returned to India for its last rites.In an interview with the BBC, Gurcharan, 21, said Kirandeep moved to the UK in September 2024 in the hope of building a better future for her family in Punjab, and was helping pay for her university education.“She was everything to me. She supported us all. She helped me pay my school fees,” Gurcharan said, noting that her sister regularly called home via video and always put the family’s needs before her own.Originally from Tarn Taran district of Majha district in Punjab, Kirandeep traveled to the UK on a student visa to pursue postgraduate studies at New University of Buckinghamshire.After completing her studies, she worked in a grocery store while supporting her family back home. Gurcharan told the BBC that her sister has become the family’s biggest source of hope despite the financial difficulties she faces.“Our family is very poor. She always thought of us first.
She wanted me to do well in my studies,” she said.Kirandeep leaves behind her parents, three siblings, her husband – whom she married in the UK – and their infant child.Gurcharan said the family learned about the killing from people in their village and are still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.“My parents are devastated. My mother has not been well since she heard the news. We never imagined that something like this could happen to her in London,” she said, adding that the family wants Kirandeep’s body to be repatriated so that she can be cremated in her native village.The family’s plight comes after they sold agricultural land to finance Kirandeep’s move abroad.Her elder brother, Lopreet Singh, had earlier said that the family sold half an acre of land – their only major asset – and spent around Rs 25 lakh on her education and relocation after she completed her BSc in Punjab.“We had high hopes that it would help one of us move to the UK as well and improve our family’s financial situation,” Lepreet said.The family claimed that the attack may have been racially motivated and appealed to the Indian government to help return Kirandeep’s body to India.However, the Metropolitan Police said there was no evidence at this stage to suggest it was a hate crime, adding that investigators were “keeping an open mind and exploring all lines of investigation”.According to the family, the attacker entered Kirandeep’s bedroom and assaulted her with a sharp weapon while she was at home with her husband and infant.Daniel Shawn James, 46, is charged with murder, attempted murder, and possession of a sharp object.Prosecutors allege he attacked her inside the family home on Uxbridge Road in Hayes in the early hours of July 12 before jumping out of a window and breaking his ankles.He appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday via video link and was remanded in custody. The hearing is scheduled for October 1.
