A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of 30-year-old Indian-origin woman Himanshi Khurana in Toronto, seven months after her body was found inside a residence, police said.
Abdul Ghafoori was arrested at a Toronto airport on August 7 and charged with first-degree murder. Police said Khurana and Ghafoori knew each other and were in an intimate partner relationship.
Accused arrested after seven months
Toronto Police said its Fugitive Squad and Homicide and Missing Persons Unit worked with national and international law enforcement agencies to bring Ghafoori back to Canada.
“Members of the Toronto Police Fugitive Squad and Homicide and Missing Persons Unit liaised with national and international policing partners to facilitate the accused’s return to Canada,” the police said in a statement.
Police have not disclosed which country Ghafoori had allegedly fled to. A countrywide warrant had been issued for his arrest after the murder investigation began in December last year.
The first-degree murder charge carries a possible life sentence without parole if prosecutors establish premeditation and intent.
Khurana found dead inside Toronto home
The case began on December 19 when Toronto Police responded to a call to locate a missing person.
The following morning, officers found Khurana dead inside a residence at around 6.30 am. “officers located the missing female deceased inside a residence,” police had said at the time.
Her death was subsequently classified as a homicide, with the Homicide Unit taking over the investigation.
Police identified the woman two days later and subsequently focused their investigation on Ghafoori.
Khurana was later identified as an Indian national by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of Ms Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto,” the Consulate said in a statement on X.
The Consulate also said it had “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.”
Another Toronto murder case
The arrest comes weeks after another woman, 26-year-old Navneet Kaur, was reportedly shot dead in Toronto.
Toronto Police said Kaur was shot at around 7:23 am on July 24 near the Humberwood Boulevard and Rexdale Boulevard intersection. Police identified 37-year-old Brampton resident Sharnjeet Singh as the accused and charged him with first-degree murder and failure to comply with undertaking.