Ottawa/Chandigarh, Apr 29: A Punjab AAP leader’s 21-year-old daughter who went missing three days ago in Canada’s Ottawa has been found dead, according to authorities.
The Indian High Commission in Ottawa on Monday confirmed the death of Vanshika Saini, the daughter of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Davinder Saini from Punjab’s Mohali district.
She had gone to Canada two years ago to pursue higher studies after completing her senior secondary in Dera Bassi.
“We are deeply saddened to be informed of the death of Ms. Vanshika, student from India in Ottawa,” the High Commission said, adding that authorities concerned have taken up the case, which is now under investigation.
In Punjab, her family urged the Centre for assistance in bringing back her body.
Vanshika went missing last Friday after leaving her residence at 7 Majestic Drive in Ottawa at around 8-9 pm to view a rental room, according to a social media post by an Indo-Canadian association linked by the High Commission.
According to the post, her phone was switched off at approximately 11.40 pm that night and she missed an important exam the next day, which it said was “completely out of character” for the student.
Vanshika’s father said she had always been a topper in her school and wanted to do something big in her life.
Davinder said he did not know what happened to her, adding that the family was told that the cause of death could be known only after a postmortem examination.
“It is a great loss for the family and a tough time for us,” said Davinder, who is the AAP’s block president and is associated with AAP MLA from Dera Bassi Kuljit Singh Randhawa.
“I want that my daughter’s body be brought back here,” he said.
AAP MLA Randhawa also expressed grief over the death. He said that efforts were being made to bring back the body to Punjab.
Randhawa said AAP MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal had been approached for their help in bringing back the body, and added that the MPs had contacted the Indian embassy.
The High Commission said it was in “close contact with the bereaved kin and local community associations to provide all possible assistance”.
In an earlier post on X, it had urged people with any information about the case to contact local community organisations.
In a letter to the Ottawa Police Service Chief Eric Stubbs, Hindu Community in Ottawa President Parmod Chhabra said the community was deeply worried, “fearing the worst”.
The letter was also linked by the High Commission in its X post.
Chhabra had requested the police chief’s personal attention and intervention, urging the Ottawa Police Service to “escalate this case, allocate appropriate resources, and prioritise the investigation into Vanshika’s disappearance”. (PTI)
