Indo-Canadian teen identified as victim in tragic WalMart incident

The tragedy occurred at the store in Halifax, capital of the province of Nova Scotia, on October 19. In a statement, Halifax Police said, “The woman, who was an employee of the store, was located in a large walk-in oven belonging to the store’s bakery department.”

Local media have reported that her burnt remains were discovered by her mother, who was also an employee at the same store. Kaur and her mother, originally from Ludhiana, moved to Canada from the United Kingdom, three years earlier. They found employment at the store about two years ago.

An online fundraiser organised by the Maritime Sikh Society Executive described her as “a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams.”

It also outlined the tragic sequence of events leading up to the discovery of the corpse. That evening, her mother tried to locate her after not seeing her for an hour and her phone was not reachable. Other store employees “brushed aside” her concern stating she may be somewhere assisting a customer in the superstore.

However, her mother “started panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day.” She reached out to the onsite administrators for help. Hours later, she was found in the bakery oven by employees including the mother. “Imagine the horror that her mother experienced when she opened the oven,” the fundraiser said.

By Thursday evening, it had already raised over CA$ 164,000.

These funds will be utilised for the bereaved family, including making arrangements for her father to secure a visa to come to Canada. Her brother also lives in India.

The Society’s president Harjit Singh Seyan told the Hindustan Times that both the mother and the victim was regulars at their Halifax gurdwara. “Community is shocked. It’s quite disturbing and tragic news,” he said.

He added that community was rallying around the family. “We are trying to provide all moral and financial support,” he said. They have also arranged for psychological support for her family and friends.

Halifax Police is investigating the “sudden death.” However, in a release, it cautioned, “It is important to note that the investigation has not yet reached a point where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed.”