Gurwinder Singh, 25, was found dead in a car near Kamloops along with another unknown man on Sept. 22, 2022.

Image Credit: GoFundMe

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected and edited based on new information with a full explanation at the bottom of the story.

The bodies of two men were found in a car last month near Golden, and one is believed to be an international student living in Kamloops.

iNFOnews.ca has learned the body of Gurwinder Singh, 25, who was studying at Thompson Rivers University, was found in a car last month, along with the body of another unknown person.

RCMP confirmed to iNFOnews.ca in an email on Friday afternoon, Oct. 7, that the bodies were found near Golden. Previous reporting incorrectly indicated the bodies were in a forested area near Kamloops.

It's not clear exactly where they were found or whose car they were in, but a family friend said Singh failed to answer messages on his birthday, Sept. 10, around two weeks before the family learned of his death.

Rashpal Singh Chandi, who lives in Surrey and is arranging to have Singh's body returned home, said Singh's family tried to reach him, but got no response.

However, they didn't report him as missing because he tended to keep to himself and it wasn't uncommon for their messages to go unanswered. They're in India and having difficulty piecing together what happened and were unclear about whether any police messaging about the deaths had been released.

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A news release on Sept. 16 from B.C. RCMP, however, indicates two bodies were found near Bowles-Evans Forest Service Road east of Golden on Sept. 11. Police said the deaths were believed to be suspicious and the major crimes unit is investigating. 

RCMP have not said whether their deaths have been ruled a homicide.

Neither of the victims were identified in the news release.

The lack of information leaves Chandi and Singh's family with many questions, including who the other person was and their relationship with Singh. Chandi isn't sure if the two were fighting or victims together.

It appears Singh's family reached out to an Indian news agency, which reported his mysterious death on Sept. 27.

"Twenty-five-year-old Sikh youth of Uttarakhand died in Canada under suspicious circumstances," a description of the YouTube video, translated from Hindi through Google, reads.

Chandi added that everything he's learned has come from Singh's family in India.

Despite direct questions today, police have not confirmed any information. 

Chandi said the two bodies were found lying in a car in a forested area somewhere near Kamloops, which was later found to be incorrect.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to Kamloops RCMP to confirm that claim Thursday afternoon, but a detachment official did not confirm any details about the investigation into Gurwinder Singh or the other victim until Friday afternoon, after the original version of this story was published.

iNFOnews.ca also reached out a B.C. RCMP spokesperson on Thursday afternoon, then followed up with B.C. RCMP and B.C. Coroners Service on Friday morning. B.C. RCMP responded to inaccuracies in the original version of this story via email around 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 7.

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Singh lived with Chandi for about a month in Surrey when he moved to Canada before heading to TRU to start classes in 2018.

Singh had just gotten a work permit to stay in Canada after his schooling, Chandi said. At the time, Singh was living by himself and was working at Mason's Kitchen and Bar in Sun Rivers. A manager independently confirmed he was an employee, that he died and his body was found in a car but didn't know anything else.

Chandi added that neither he nor Singh's family were told by police whose body was found in the car with Singh.

"I believe it was one of his friends, but I don't know who," Chandi said.

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He has since started an online fundraiser to have Singh's body taken back to India for a funeral service.

"The family's not doing well. They're just waiting for his body," Chandi said. "There's a ritual in India they have to go through, but his body's already started decaying."

The online fundraiser can be found here, which has a goal of $25,000 to cover funeral and transportation costs.

— This story was updated at 4:32 p.m., Oct. 6, 2022, to clarify the Penticton investigation is separate from the Kamloops-area investigation.

— This story underwent major revisions at 1:53 p.m., Oct. 7, 2022. An earlier version incorrectly stated the bodies were found near Kamloops. Family and friends of the deceased are unfamiliar with the area and believed they were speaking to investigators from Kamloops and that Singh’s body was found in Kamloops. Neither B.C. RCMP, Kamloops RCMP nor the B.C. Coroner’s Service would confirm the information until 1 p.m., Oct. 7, 2022.

The original story also said police didn’t inform the public. In fact the RCMP issued a release Sept. 16, 2022, about two bodies found in a vehicle near Golden under suspicious circumstances but did not reveal the identity.

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