The tragic story of 21-year-old Jasmeen Kaur from Adelaide City has shocked the nation. In March 2021, Kaur was abducted from her workplace and driven 650 kilometers to the remote Flinders Ranges of South Australia state by her spurned ex-boyfriend, Tarikjot Singh. Kaur was killed by Singh in a horrific act of revenge.

The court heard that Singh had planned the killing because he was unable to get over the breakup and was driven by vengeance, leaving Kaur to suffer a cruel and terrifying death. Kaur’s family, including her mother, were in court to hear the sentencing submissions.

The prosecutor, Carmen Matteo, said that Kaur had to have been consciously suffering the terror of breathing in and swallowing soil and dying in that way. The court was also presented with chilling messages that Singh wrote to Kaur in the lead-up to her death, which he never sent. Singh initially denied murder, claiming that Kaur had committed suicide, but eventually pleaded guilty before he was due to stand trial.

CCTV footage showed him buying gloves, cable ties, and a shovel from a Bunnings store in Mile End hours before the murder. Singh now faces a mandatory life sentence with a non-parole period to be imposed next month. His lawyer has argued for a more merciful sentence, partly because they labelled it a “crime of passion”.

The conclusion of this tragic case will provide some closure for Kaur's family and the nation. No matter the sentence imposed, the horrific story of Jasmeen Kaur is a reminder of the devastating consequences of revenge and the power of passion.