In a shocking incident, the body of Nisha, a 22-year-old airhostess trainee from Jogindernagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, was recovered from the Bhakra canal near Patiala in Punjab.
A victim’s friend, Yuvraj, a 33-year-old police officer posted in Mohali, has been detained on the charges of murder.
Victim was living in Chandigarh for 3 years
Nisha, originally from Seru village under the Masouli panchayat of Jogindernagar, had been living in Chandigarh for the past three years, pursuing airhostess training.
She had returned to her hometown last week but left for Chandigarh on January 20 (2025). CCTV footage captured her leaving her paying guest (PG) accommodation in Sector 34, Chandigarh, with Yuvraj that evening. Shortly after, her phone was switched off and she went untraceable.
The following day on January 21, Nisha’s partially unclothed body was recovered from the Bhakra Canal along the Patiala-Sangrur route.
Local divers from the Bhole Shankar Divers Club retrieved the body. On January 22, her family identified the remains at Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, after which it was handed over to them.
Investigation Unfolds
Preliminary police investigations revealed that Nisha was in a relationship with Yuvraj, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib.
CCTV footage from January 20 corroborated this, showing Nisha leaving with Yuvraj. It is suspected that Yuvraj allegedly pushed Nisha into the canal near Pathredi village in Ropar district.
Mandi ASP Sagar Chand said that the Nangal police had informed the Jogindernagar police about Nisha’s death. Her family had earlier lodged a missing person report after she failed to respond to calls.
Yuvraj has since been taken into custody and charged with murder. Investigators are now probing the motive behind the crime and the events leading to Nisha’s tragic death.
Nisha, a bright and ambitious girl, was on the cusp of completing her airhostess training. Her death has sent shockwaves through the community in Jogindernagar and Himachal Pradesh, and also among her friends in Chandigarh.
