Murdered woman in Canada an Indian national: Consulate

India’s consulate in Canada confirmed Himanshi Khurana’s identity while expressing condolences to her bereaved family

Toronto: The 30-year-old female victim of a murder in Toronto on Friday has been identified as an Indian national and not as an Indo-Canadian as reported earlier.

A photo of Himanshi Khurana, 30, who was allegedly murdered by 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori in Toronto, Canada on Friday. (Credit: Toronto Police Service)

India’s consulate in Canada confirmed her identity while expressing condolences to her bereaved family. In a statement on X posted on Tuesday, India’s consulate in Toronto said, “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of Ms. Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto.”

Extending its “deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief”, the consulate added that it “has been in close touch with the matter over the past few days, and all possible assistance is being extended to the family in close coordination with local authorities”.

On Monday, a Canada-wide warrant was issued for 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori, who is wanted on the charge of first degree murder. That charge can attract a life sentence without parole if the prosecution can prove pre-meditation and intent.

On Friday, Toronto Police officers responded to a call to locate a missing person. That came at 10.41pm and an investigation started.

At around 6.30am the next morning, “officers located the missing female deceased inside a residence”, a release from Toronto Police on Monday stated.

It added that the death was classified as a homicide. As a result, the service’s Homicide Unit assumed charge of the investigation.

The release pointed out that the “victim and suspect are known to each other”.

No other details, including the motive for the crime, were provided and no update was released on Tuesday including the outcome of the search for the killer.

According to the outlet CP24, citing Toronto Police, the suspect and the victim “were in an intimate partner relationship”.

The image of the victim released by police matched that of one posted on social media by a user with the same name. On that profile, she described herself as a Toronto-based digital creator, who appeared to have studied in Delhi.