VANCOUVER – The mother and uncle of a young Indo-Canadian woman murdered in India more than 11 years ago have been arrested and are awaiting an extradition hearing.
Maple Ridge, B.C., residents Malkit Kaur Sidhu, the mother of the deceased and Surjit Singh Badesha, were arrested last week and appeared in court on Monday to set a bail hearing date.
Twenty-five-year-old Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu was murdered in Punjab, India, and her husband Mithu, a Dalit rickshaw driver, was seriously injured in the attack. Later – Mithu was arrested and jailed on rape charges but was freed using Canadian sent funds.
RCMP say Indian authorities have uncovered evidence Jassi Sidhu’s family was involved in her killing from Canada.
Mounties and other government officials have travelled to India on a number of occasions to work on the case and the extradition process, though it’s unclear why it took more than a decade for arrest warrants to be issued.
Legal observers say the extradition battle could take several years and reach the Supreme Court of Canada, particularly since the two accused are Canadian citizens.
