BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — New information from the Bakersfield Police Department is shedding new light on a local case that has caught national attention.
On December 10th Jagmeet Singh Sandhu allegedly held his pregnant ex-girlfriend at gunpoint for hours and forced her to take pills in order to induce a miscarriage.
Sandhu entered the victim's residence using a key he had not returned to the victim after the break-up of the relationship. The victim said it appeared that Sandhu had pre-planned the attack, showing up wearing gloves and holding a gun. He had also brought pills and ordered the victim to "take these pills or I'm going to kill you."
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According to a report released by the BPD, Sandhu said his family would disown him for having a child with a non-Indian woman and that cultural differences would not allow him to marry or have a child with a non-Indian woman. Sandhu said he had been kicked out of his family after they found out the victim was pregnant and they forced him to move out of the family home.
In the report, the victim's relative said the fact the victim was not from "a traditional Indian family" was a “source of contention within the relationship.”
In one incident recounted by the victim's relative, Sandhu refused to introduce the victim to his family during his graduation from California State University. The victim and her relative went to approach Sandhu's parents and his family but were stopped by Sandhu’s sister, who said that they were not welcomed to meet the family because the parents disapproved of the victim not being from the Indian community.
A search warrant allowed Bakersfield police to search Sandhu's phone where they found an image written primarily in Punjabi with the words "honor kill."
Sandhu has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including assault with a firearm on a person and inflicting injury on a spouse. He was released on bail after it was reduced from $1 million to $600,000.
