Canada | Indian origin woman found dead in Walmart store may have been murdered

A 19-year-old woman of Indian origin found dead in a Walmart store’s bakery department in Canada may have been pushed into an oven by someone, media reports suggest.

Gursimran Kaur’s shocked mother, who worked in the appliances store at Halifax, was stunned to discover her charred body. The incident has sent shock waves in the Indian diaspora.

The police say they have not reached a conclusion as to what caused the death. However, a Walmart employee, Chris Breezie, suggested that Gursimran was locked in a walk-in oven and "baked to death".

Employee insists it is murder

"There is no way possible somebody could lock themselves in there," she said in a video. She said she believed that Gursimran was thrown into the oven by a second person.

The apparent murder took place on October 19.

Also read: Indian-origin teen Gursimran Kaur found dead in Walmart oven in Canada

She pointed out that there was an emergency latch located inside the oven and there were no tasks that required a worker to enter the oven physically. "I would never be in here, whether I'm cleaning it or not."

Police investigate death

An officer for the Halifax Regional Police said the investigation was “complex and involves several partner agencies. An investigation of this nature may take a significant amount of time".

According to The Mirror, another employee, Mary, said it "doesn't make any sense" as the door does not close by itself. "It's designed not to do that. You have to push it, hear the click.”

Gursimran had worked at Walmart for two years alongside her mother. Her father and brother currently live in India.

Fund raising for family

A GoFundMe campaign set up by the Maritime Sikh Society Executive to support the victim's family has raised over Rs 1.1 crore so far.

Walmart Canada said the company was heartbroken over the death and their thoughts were with the victim’s family.