Missing Australian NRI Found Dead in Amritsar: Brother and Family Arrested Over Abduction and Suspected Murder

An Australian NRI who traveled to Punjab to oversee his properties was brutally murdered, sparking a deep investigation by local authorities. The Punjab Police have uncovered a sinister plot involving family greed, property fraud, and betrayal, resulting in the arrest of four individuals, including the victim’s immediate relatives.

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A Fatal Welcome: The Disappearance of Sunil Sharma

Sunil Sharma, a 66-year-old mathematics teacher living in Melbourne, Australia, arrived in Punjab on May 22, 2026. His primary goal was to handle the maintenance, renovation, and potential sale of his bungalow in Amritsar's Aishana Estate. However, shortly after his arrival, all communication with him abruptly ceased.

On May 23, 2026, Gaurav Kandhari, a resident of Fatehgarh Churian and a friend of the victim, approached the Kambo police station to report that Sunil Sharma could not be reached. Following the report, the Amritsar Rural Police registered a missing person case under Section 364 of the Indian Penal Code and initiated a search operation.

Blood and Betrayal: The Execution of the Crime

As the investigation deepened, authorities uncovered a chilling conspiracy driven by a deep-seated property dispute. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural, Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, revealed the gruesome details during a press conference.

According to the police, the victim's brother, Satish Sharma (also known as Sunny), had conspired with local property dealers to seize Sunil's high-value assets. This included an ongoing dispute over a prime property in Mohali valued at over Rs 4 crore. Satish had reportedly fabricated a fraudulent power of attorney in Ludhiana to covertly liquidate and transfer Sunil's properties into their names.

On May 22, the conspirators lured Sunil to Amritsar under the pretext of finalizing a property deal. The police detailed the sequence of events:

The Incapacitation: The conspirators mixed sleeping pills into Sunil Sharma's food. The Assault: While Sunil was unconscious, Satish Sharma and his son, Sunish Sharma, arrived at the location and fatally bludgeoned him on the head with a baseball bat.

The Cover-Up: Satish’s wife, Anushka Sharma, arrived at the scene post-murder. The perpetrators wrapped the body in a mattress, loaded it into Sunil’s own vehicle, and transported it to Harike. To destroy evidence, they dumped the body into the canal near Harike Headworks and later abandoned Sunil's car in the Sri Darbar Sahib parking lot.

An Emotional Appeal from Australia

Before the breakthrough, the case garnered significant public attention when the victim’s daughter, Surbhi Sharma, released an emotional video message from Australia. Seeking intervention from the public and the state government, she highlighted her father's deep connection to his roots.

"Surbhi stated that her father shared a profound cultural bond with Punjab, which motivated him to purchase a home there. She noted that her father’s phone abruptly went inaccessible on the afternoon of May 22, prompting the family to raise alarms."

In her video appeal, Surbhi also noted the suspicious movements of her uncle, Sunny Sharma, in the vicinity on the day of the disappearance, leading her to urge Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the state police to deploy all resources to uncover the truth.

Police Crackdowns and the Ongoing Search

The breakthrough came after law enforcement tracked down and apprehended the primary suspects in Delhi. The Punjab Police have arrested four individuals so far: Satish Sharma, his wife Anushka Sharma, their son Sunish Sharma, and a local property dealer identified as Lakshman Singh Bal (also referred to as Laxman Singh alias Ball).

Two other property dealers implicated in the conspiracy, identified as Manjinder Singh and Jajbir Singh alias Baba, remain at large. Active raids are underway to secure their arrest. Meanwhile, police teams accompanied by a magistrate have reached Harike Port to retrieve the victim's remains based on the confessions of the accused. SSP Chahal confirmed that due to the strong water current in the Harike Headworks Canal, the body has not yet been recovered, and the search operation continues.
 

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