Indian police probe Richmond man’s death
Punjab police are conducting an inquiry into the mysterious death of 20-year-old Kevin Jassal of Richmond while on holiday in India with his family.
The family went to Ludhiana, India, on Feb. 25 and Kevin’s father, Parminder Jassal, found the young man’s lifeless body at a relative’s house on March 14.
The family suspected murder and complained to officials after recently receiving a post-mortem report, which identified the cause of death as aluminum phosphide insecticide poisoning.
The inquiry is being conducted under a Punjab Human Rights Commission order, said Police Insp. Sandeep Kumar Vadera, who is investigating the case. The inquiry will be completed in the next seven days, Vadera told Vancouver Desi from India.
Vadera’s findings so far show Kevin was out at the local mall with a cousin and another young man from their village. They met a group of Kenyan students there and Kevin spoke to them in English as the others stood by unable to understand. They later drank a lot of beer and went to a hookah bar, where Jassal allegedly smoked, said Vadera.
According to the cousin’s statement, after returning from the mall, the cousins told the family they were going to a gym, but landed at another relative’s house.
There, Jassal applied some unknown substance to the cousin’s lips and he became unconscious, coming to only after landing at a city hospital an hour’s distance from their village, said Vadera.
When the young men didn’t return home, the family started looking for them and found Kevin Jassal’s body and his cousin unconscious at the relative’s house. They immediately took both to the hospital, where Jassal was declared dead on arrival.
Police believe his cousin was treated for an opium overdose, and have asked doctors for details, Vadera said.
Parminder Jassal denied suggestions that his son had been treated for drug use in Canada and alleged that his son was murdered.
Vadera said he will be recording Jassal’s statement before concluding the inquiry. adding: “Until now, we have not found a motive, if this is a murder.”