Edmonton woman, 23, allegedly strangled to death by partner: police
Posted July 23, 2026 1:23 pm.
Last Updated July 23, 2026 7:10 pm.
Edmonton police allege a 23-year-old woman died at the hands of her boyfriend, who has since been charged with murder.
Damanpreet Kaur died in hospital July 12, three days after being found unresponsive and with life-threatening injuries at a southeast Edmonton home, in the Silverberry neighbourhood. A man was taken into custody shortly after.
The Edmonton Police Service says an autopsy completed July 14 determined her cause of death was strangulation.
Ritish Kumar, 22, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder. The allegation against him has not been tested in court.
While Edmonton police are not confirming to CityNews if Kumar was the original person detained, or if he was released, they specified they are not looking for any other suspects.
A person living on Silverberry Road told CityNews Kaur lived in a basement suite with Kumar.
Though authorities had previously withheld the victim’s name and cause of death for “investigative reasons,” Kaur was first identified to CityNews by a friend in Edmonton.
“She was a young girl. She came as like all the other young students here with big hopes and dreams about her future. But it is sad what is happening with her,” Gulzar Singh Nirman said Wednesday.
CityNews spoke to several neighbours who remembered Kaur as friendly, often saying hello to those who lived on her street.
Nirman says he spoke to Kaur’s father on the phone in India.
“He can’t control his emotions, so it’s very sad. Because if you have only one child, all the hopes and dreams are with that guy, that girl, and she’s gone from this world. It’s very sad.”
An online fundraiser has raised more than $16,000 to send her body to her family in India so they can grieve.
“They are very sad, but they trust the Canadian system,” said Nirman. “They know she will get justice.”
–With files from Lauren Boothby, Samreen Khoja, and Siddi Chudal
