To the rest of the world, Sukhjit Singh and his wife Ramandeep Kaur Mann seemed like the perfect couple. Ramandeep was a vibrant, glamorous, and hardworking mother of two, while Sukhjit was a wealthy, ambitious, and dedicated family man. Their marriage was not arranged; they had chosen to marry for love and enjoyed a comfortable middle-class life in a stylish suburb of Derby. However, as is often the case, appearances can be deceiving, and Ramandeep had her fair share of secrets. According to those who knew the couple, the balance of power in their relationship was not entirely equal.
A close friend of the couple, who spoke exclusively to the Mail, remembers how Sukhjit adored Ramandeep and would do anything for her. It seemed like she always got her way. But that wasn’t always the case. This week, Ramandeep, a British-born woman of 38, found herself facing the consequences of her actions in India. She had been convicted of murdering her loving husband with the help of her lover.Sukhjit was completely unaware of the shocking truth that his beloved wife had embarked on a clandestine affair with his closest childhood friend. Little did he know that this deceitful duo had heartlessly conspired to end his life in order to claim his £2 million life insurance and £100,000 assets.
In the serene month of September 2016, during their holiday at Sukhjit’s mother-in-law’s house in Basantapur, a charming village in the state of Uttar Pradesh, northern India, Ramandeep executed her sinister plan. She cunningly spiked her 34-year-old husband’s favorite biryani curry with sedatives, while her boyfriend, Gurpreet Singh, who had joined them on the trip, gained access to the property.As Sukhjit peacefully slumbered, Ramandeep callously suffocated him with a pillow, while Gurpreet delivered a brutal blow to his unsuspecting friend’s head with a hammer. To ensure their wicked scheme was successful, Ramandeep then mercilessly slit her husband’s throat, bringing an end to his life.
The lovers had a plan to use Sukhjit’s money to escape and start a fresh chapter in their lives. However, their scheme quickly fell apart when the police were called and immediately suspected Ramandeep’s involvement. Ramandeep was arrested, and Gurpreet was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Dubai, where he was residing. Tragically, Ramandeep’s eldest son, Arjun, who was only nine years old at the time, witnessed his father’s murder. That night, he didn’t feel hungry and didn’t consume enough of the drugged meal to render him unconscious, as his mother had intended.
Shortly after 10pm, the young boy was awakened by the sound of his father struggling as his mother tried to suffocate him. What he witnessed will undoubtedly haunt him for the rest of his life. When questioned by the police, he bravely shared, “My dad was amazing, but my mom was wicked. I never want to see her face again because she killed my dad right in front of me. She placed a pillow over his face and told Gurpreet to slit his throat.”
Ramandeep and Gurpreet were found guilty of Sukhjit’s murder after a long wait of seven years due to the slow Indian justice system. The trial gained a dramatic turn when Arjun, who is now 16, flew from the UK to testify against his mother in person. However, the case took a shocking twist when the judge ruled that the murder was barbaric enough for Ramandeep to receive the death penalty. She now faces the possibility of being hanged for her crimes.
