A 30-year-old Indian national, identified as Himanshi Khurana, was murdered in Canada’s Toronto last week. Law enforcement authorities confirmed the killing and issued a search warrant for 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori on a charge of first-degree murder.
In a press statement, the Toronto Police Service said officers responded to a missing person call in the Strachan Avenue and Wellington Street West areas on the night of December 19. At around 6.30 am on Saturday, December 20, police found the missing woman dead inside a residence.
It is alleged that the victim and the suspect knew each other, police said.
How was the Indian woman killed?
The deceased woman was identified as Himanshi Khurana, a resident of Toronto.
On Friday, Toronto Police officers responded to a call to locate a missing person at 10.41 pm, following which an investigation was launched.
On Saturday, at around 6.30 am, “officers located the missing female deceased inside a residence”, a Toronto Police release issued on Monday said.
It added that the death was classified as a homicide, after which the service’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation.
Police said they are searching for Abdul Ghafoori, 32, also of Toronto, in connection with the case.
The image of the victim released by police matched that of one posted on social media by a user bearing the same name. On that profile, she described herself as a Toronto-based digital creator, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
How did Himanshi and Abdul know each other?
A CBC News report said police suspect the case to be an “act of intimate partner violence”.
A Toronto Police spokesperson also told CP24 that the suspect and the victim “were in an intimate partner relationship”.
“We have released an image of the suspect, and that is out there, and we’re appealing to the public, if anybody would happen to know where this man is, to please call police,” the spokesperson said.
Indian Consulate ‘shocked, saddened’
The Indian Consulate in Toronto expressed deep shock and sorrow over the murder. In a statement posted on X, it said, “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of Ms Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto. We extend our deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief.”
It added, “The Consulate has been in close touch on the matter over the past few days, and all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities.”
