Bathinda (Punjab): Kamal Kaur, a well-known social media influencer from Punjab, was found dead inside a parked car near Adesh Medical University in Bathinda on Wednesday night. The discovery has prompted the police to launch a murder investigation into the circumstances of her death.

Kaur, who hailed from Ludhiana, had amassed more than 3.83 lakh followers on Instagram. She was known for her frequent video posts, some of which had previously stirred debate for their alleged use of language described as obscene.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Bathinda, Narinder Singh, said, “Yesterday evening, we received a call that a car was parked in Adesh Hospital and some foul smell was coming out of it. A police team reached there - we found the body of a girl in the back seat of that car. In the preliminary investigation, the girl was identified as Kanchan Kumari, alias Kamal Kaur of Ludhiana. She left her home on June 9 by telling her mother that she would attend a promotional event. The investigation is on. Our priority is to know how her body reached there, and who is responsible for her death, and soon, action will be taken against those responsible. It is not the death spot; her body was dumped in the car after death. The car belongs to the girl, in which she left her home.”

The discovery was made after a strong, unpleasant odour from the car alarmed those nearby. Locals contacted the police, who arrived at the scene and found Kaur unresponsive inside the vehicle. Her identity was confirmed shortly thereafter, and authorities linked the vehicle to Ludhiana through its registration number.