Who Was Manjeet Kaur? Pregnant Punjabi Influencer Dies After Attack

Chandigarh-based social media influencer Manjeet Kaur, 28, died at PGIMER on August 26 after spending 54 days undergoing treatment for severe burn injuries following an alleged abduction and attack in Punjab. Police have registered a case of kidnapping and murder, while investigators are trying to establish what happened to her after she was allegedly taken from Chandigarh to an area near Morinda.

The case has also drawn scrutiny over an alleged failure to record Kaur’s statement after she regained consciousness during treatment.

The latest information released by Chandigarh Police has added another detail to the case: a postmortem examination reportedly found that Kaur was about three-and-a-half months pregnant when she died. Earlier reports had described her as nearly seven weeks pregnant, making the pregnancy timeline one detail that should be treated cautiously until the medical record is independently clarified.

Who was Manjeet Kaur?

Before the attack, Kaur was known for her presence on social media, particularly Instagram. Reports put her Instagram following at about 146,000. She posted short videos, including reels featuring Punjabi and Haryanvi music and promotional content for cosmetic products.

She also maintained a YouTube channel with roughly 3,930 subscribers, where she shared family-oriented videos and vlogs. She was reported to have lived in the Sunny Enclave area, while her mother and brother were based in Panchkula. NDTV reported that Kaur was divorced and had a seven-year-old son.

Her online profile was built largely around everyday lifestyle content and short-form videos. Her death has since turned that relatively ordinary social-media presence into the centre of a criminal investigation spanning Chandigarh and Punjab.

What happened to Manjeet Kaur?

According to a complaint filed by her mother, Kanta Devi, Kaur was called to Chandigarh’s Sector 34 during the intervening night of July 3 and 4 by acquaintances.

The complaint alleges that she was assaulted and forced into a vehicle before being taken towards Morinda in Punjab. Police reports and media accounts say she was allegedly taken to a forested area, tied to a tree, and set on fire. Another person reportedly reached the location and helped extinguish the flames before she was taken for medical treatment.

Kaur was initially treated at hospitals in the Morinda and Mohali areas before being shifted to PGIMER in Chandigarh. She remained there for weeks with serious burn injuries and died on August 26. Her death followed 54 days of treatment, according to reports.

Chandigarh Police subsequently registered a kidnapping and murder case after her mother approached the authorities.

Why was Manjeet Kaur’s statement not recorded?

One of the most contentious aspects of the case concerns Kaur’s reported wish to tell police what had happened to her.

Sources cited by The Times of India said Kaur regained consciousness during her treatment and sought to have her statement recorded. The PGI police post reportedly informed Kharar Sadar police that she was conscious and in a condition to give a statement. A daily diary report was also reportedly entered regarding the communication.

Kaur died before the statement was recorded.

Her family has alleged that police failed to act while she was still alive and able to communicate. Punjab Police, however, has rejected allegations of negligence. According to the police response reported by The Times of India, the alleged abduction occurred within Chandigarh’s jurisdiction, meaning Chandigarh Police were responsible for taking the initial action. Punjab Police said Kharar police assisted Kaur’s mother and helped facilitate the eventual registration of the FIR.

That dispute remains an important part of the investigation. It is not established that police deliberately prevented Kaur from giving a statement.

Who has been named in the case?

Earlier reports based on the FIR identified two acquaintances, Shubhi and Pinda, as accused in the kidnapping and murder case. Police were searching for them and had not reported an arrest in the latest reports available on August 30.

A newer police account reported on August 31 said three people had been named, including Rinku, Pinda and Shubh, while investigators were also examining whether others were involved. The differing descriptions in reports underline that the investigation is still developing.

Police have said the motive has not yet been established. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events surrounding the alleged abduction and attack.

What remains unanswered?

Several central questions remain unresolved.

Investigators have yet to establish why Kaur was allegedly taken from Chandigarh to Morinda, who was involved in the attack, and what prompted it. Police are also examining the role of people named in the case and whether additional individuals were involved.

The handling of Kaur’s treatment and the reported communication between the PGI police post and Kharar police will also face scrutiny, particularly because she reportedly wanted to provide her account before her death.

The pregnancy finding has added another sensitive element to the investigation, but there is currently no verified evidence establishing that it was connected to the attack. Any such connection remains a matter for investigators to establish rather than a fact.

For now, the most significant evidence available comes from the police case, the complaint filed by Kaur’s mother, medical findings, and the ongoing investigation. The people named as accused have not been convicted, and the circumstances surrounding the killing have yet to be fully established.

The case remains under investigation as police continue efforts to trace those named and determine what happened to Manjeet Kaur during the final weeks of her life.