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- By Shivangi Sharma
- Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A 55-year-old woman from Punjab’s Kapurthala district has gone missing in Pakistan after travelling there as part of a Sikh jatha (religious delegation) for Guru Nanak Jayanti. The woman, identified as Sarabjit Kaur, a resident of Amanipur village in DakkakhanaTibba, was reported missing when the group returned to India on Thursday evening.
According to a report by IANS, Sarabjit Kaur had crossed into Pakistan on November 4 via the Attari border with a group of 1,923 Sikh pilgrims. The jatha, led by Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj of Akal Takht Sahib, undertook a 10-day pilgrimage to several revered gurdwaras, including Nankana Sahib.
When the group returned, only 1,922 pilgrims re-entered India. Immigration officials confirmed that Sarabjit’s name was absent from Pakistan’s exit records as well as from India’s re-entry records. This discrepancy raised an immediate alert, prompting Indian and Pakistani agencies to initiate tracing efforts.
Immigration Discrepancies Raise Concerns
The Indian High Commission in Islamabad has contacted Pakistani authorities to determine whether the woman stayed back voluntarily, went missing under suspicious circumstances, or crossed into another region. “Both sides are coordinating to trace her whereabouts,” a senior Indian government official said.
Investigators discovered further irregularities in Sarabjit Kaur’s travel documents. Her passport reportedly lists Malout, Muktsar, as the address, instead of her current residence in Kapurthala, and mentions her father’s name instead of her husband, raising questions about whether she deliberately misrepresented information. She also allegedly left blank the column on citizenship and passport number in the immigration form submitted in Pakistan.
Criminal Background Under Scrutiny
Police sources in Kapurthala revealed that Sarabjit Kaur has a criminal history, with three cases filed against her in the past, two in Kapurthala City police station and one in Bathinda's KotFatta police station. These included charges of cheating and fraud, though proceedings in her cases had already concluded.
Her family, too, has an extensive criminal record. Her elder son Lovejot Singh faces six cases, while her younger son Navjot Singh has four, involving various charges registered at Kapurthala, Sultanpur Lodhi, and Kabirpur. Both sons are reportedly out on bail. Her husband, Karnail Singh, has been living in England for over 15 years.
SHO Nirmal Singh of Talwandi Chaudhrian police station said that while Sarabjit had travelled with the jatha “to pay obeisance at Nankana Sahib,” she did not return. Authorities are investigating whether she intentionally stayed back, fled due to legal troubles, or if any criminal angle is involved.