Daijiworld Media Network - Toronto

Toronto, Aug 9: A 32-year-old man has been arrested seven months after 30-year-old Indian-origin woman Himanshi Khurana was found dead inside a house in Toronto, police said on Saturday.

The accused, Abdul Ghafoori, was arrested at a Toronto airport on August 7 and charged with first-degree murder. Police said Ghafoori and Khurana were known to each other and were in an intimate partner relationship.

Members of the Toronto Police Fugitive Squad and Homicide and Missing Persons Unit worked with national and international law enforcement partners to facilitate Ghafoori's return to Canada, police said. Authorities did not disclose the country from which he had returned.

Canadian police had issued a nationwide warrant for Ghafoori after Khurana's death was reported in December last year.

A first-degree murder conviction can carry a life sentence without parole if prosecutors establish premeditation and intent.

On December 19, Toronto Police officers responded to a report concerning a missing person. The following day, at around 6.30 am, officers found the missing woman dead inside a residence.

Police classified the death as a homicide and transferred the investigation to the Homicide Unit. The victim's identity was established two days later, following which investigators identified Ghafoori as a prime suspect.

Khurana was subsequently 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 had said in a statement on X.

The Consulate expressed condolences to Khurana's family and said it had remained in close contact with the matter while extending all possible assistance to the family in coordination with local authorities.

The arrest comes amid renewed attention on cases involving Indian-origin women in Toronto.

Last month, 26-year-old Navneet Kaur was reportedly shot dead in Toronto. While Toronto Police and local Canadian reports did not confirm her nationality, she was believed to be of Indian origin.

Police identified the accused in that case as 37-year-old Brampton resident Sharnjeet Singh, who was also believed to be of Indian descent. Police said Singh and Kaur had a brief interaction before the shooting.

The incident occurred around 7.23 am on July 24 at the intersection of Humberwood Boulevard and Rexdale Boulevard. Singh was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and failure to comply with an undertaking.