Tarikjot Singh has been jailed for life for the murder of his former girlfriend.
On March 5, 2021, he abducted 21-year-old Jasmeen Kaur from her workplace in Adelaide, Australia, bound her with cable ties and tape before burying her alive at Moralana Creek near Hawker in the Flinders Ranges.
Her body was discovered on March 7.
Singh did not provide details of how he abducted Jasmeen and what he did to her afterwards.
But Justice Adam Kimber said the evidence was clear that she had undergone extreme suffering and had been forced to endure a lengthy car trip while bound and gagged.
Justice Kimber said: “The drive must have taken several hours. Throughout that trip, Ms Kaur must have been terrified. You cannot have cared.
“You dug a grave and you buried her while she was still alive.”
The judge said it was clear that the killing was planned and methodical and Singh had taken steps to cover his tracks.
He added: “The enormity of what you were doing must have been clear to you.
“There was time for reflection. There was time to depart from the plan. Nonetheless, you went ahead and killed Ms Kaur.”
The court heard Singh wrote several messages, which he never ended up sending, to Jasmeen.
Messages included: “Your bad luck that I am still alive, cheap, wait and watch, will get the answer, each and every single one will get the answer” and “Deep inside what I feel but can’t get over.”
When Singh was first questioned, he claimed he could not remember when he last saw Jasmeen.
He insisted he had been at home on the night of her murder.
A day later, he claimed Jasmeen had committed suicide and he had buried her in the Flinders Ranges.
He took police to the burial site, where officers found Ms Kaur’s shoes, glasses, and work name badge in a bin, alongside looped cable ties.
Justice Kimber told Singh that his only concern was for himself.
He said: “Your concern was to follow through on a desire to punish Ms Kaur.
“You killed Ms. Kaur in order to punish her for not wanting to be in a relationship with you and for going to the police.”
Their relationship came to an end in early 2021 and a few weeks later, Jasmeen went to police with her concerns about Singh’s behaviour.
Justice Kimber said: “Once the relationship came to an end you continued to contact her — this included attempts to pressure her with threats of self-harm.”
Singh received a police caution for stalking in early February 2021.
Singh initially pleaded not guilty to murdering Jasmeen but changed his plea in February 2023.
When passing the sentence, Justice Kimber said:
“I am unable to find words to adequately describe how Ms. Kaur must have felt when you placed her in the grave and buried her.
“The terror she felt when she was abducted, restrained, and kept in the car during the long drive to Moralana Creek is difficult enough to estimate.
“I cannot describe the terror Ms Kaur must have been experiencing when she realised you were burying her alive.”
Singh was sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum of 22 years and 10 months.
Jasmeen’s mother Rashpal Kaur welcomed the sentence.
She said: “Today I do not feel happy. I wish that I was not giving this statement and that Jasmeen was still here by my side.
“I talk to her every day, we say goodnight to our children, don’t we? So, I always say goodnight to my daughter.
“Justice has prevailed and I cannot begin to express our relief.
“We welcome the sentence given, but what I can say is that my family and I have already started our life sentence having to spend the rest of our lives without Jasmeen.”
Singh is likely to be deported once he is released from prison.
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