Queens, New York Rajwinder Kaur 26

[meme]

Family Of Missing Queens Girl Ups Reward

The family of a missing Queens woman has increased their reward to $5,000 for information in the case.

Investigators say Rajwinder Kaur, 26, was last seen leaving her home on 198th Street in Hollis around 8 p.m. Sunday.

Her family says she was on her way to her volunteer job at a Brooklyn homeless shelter when she disappeared.

Rajwinder's sister, Gurpreet, said she received the text message "The girl with this phone is dead was smiling" from the missing woman's phone less than two hours after she vanished.

It was sent from Rajwinder's phone at around 9:40 p.m. Sunday.

"It was very bizarre, as you could tell, the message, and not something that my sister would send to me," Gurpreet said. "So I called her. There was no response."

Kaur is described as being 5'3" tall and weighing 130 pounds.

Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, by texting TIP577 to CRIMES, or by going to NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.

brooklyn.ny1.com/content/top_stories/164535/family-of-missing-queens-girl-ups-reward

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Missing New Yorker's chilling text: "The girl with this phone is dead"

July 11, 2012

(CBS News) The family of a missing New York woman is extremely worried after they got a chilling text message from her cell number: "The girl with this phone is dead was smiling." Authorities said 26-year-old Rajwinder Kaur was last seeing in her Queens home Sunday at 8 p.m. when she was on her way to volunteer at a Brooklyn shelter, CBS New York affiliate WCBS reported. Rajwinder's youngest sister received the mysterious message at 9:40 p.m. ET the night she vanished.

"I was reading it and it didn't make sense and I worried, what's going on?" the youngest sister, Gurpreet, told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.

"We are very nervous, we are scared, I know Raji. She will never send a message like that," added brother-in-law Kulwinder Bhinder. Watch: Shocking Text Message Leaves Family Of Missing Queens Woman 'Very Worried' Kaur's family said they are anxiously waiting answers to what happened to Rajwinder, a social worker who recently became involved in volunteering at shelters. They tried to get the word out on Twitter and Facebook, but still haven't learned any new information. "Nobody has called. We've even reached out to our community, the Punjabi community, we put like news in the ... Indian [TV] channels and all that and we haven't heard anything from anybody yet," Lucky said. "We're really very, very worried.

Her family did not know what shelter she was heading to and have put missing fliers at dozens of them.

NYPD sources told CBS 2 that Rajwinder had sold some belongings on eBay before she disappeared and believe that she joined a cult. The creepy text could mean "the old Rajwinder is dead to you; the new Rajwinder is with us" the sources told Hennessey.

The Kaur family, however, is skeptical of that theory, describing the 26-year-old as a religious girl who wouldn't do something so extreme.

They do, however, believe she is alive. "Yes, I have to believe that," Gurpreet Kaur said. "We do." Rajwinder is described as 5-foot-3 and 130 pounds with a thin build and medium complexion.

The family is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her safe return. Anyone with information in regards to this missing is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

m.cbsnews.com/fullstory.rbml?catid=57470594&feed_id=1&videofeed=null

[meme]

Shocking Text Message Leaves Family Of Missing Queens Woman ‘Very Worried’

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) —The family of a missing Queens woman is desperately searching for answers after a chilling text message left them with more questions than answers.

Authorities said 26-year-old Rajwinder Kaur was last seen on Sunday at around 8 p.m. inside her home on 198th Street in Hollis. That is when she left to volunteer at a Brooklyn shelter, according her family.

The missing woman’s sister, Lucky Kaur, told 1010 WINS’ Al Jones that their youngest sister received a text message from Rajwinder’s phone, saying “The owner of this phone is dead, but she was smiling.”

“I was reading it and it didn’t make sense and I worried, what’s going on?” sister Gurpreet Kaur told CBS 2′s Sean Hennessey.

“We are very nervous, we are scared. I know Raji. She will never send a message like that,” added brother-in-law Kulwinder Bhinder.

“There’s nothing else we can do, just wait to get an answer from someone,” Lucky Kaur said.

The woman’s family said they have no idea what happened to her. Lucky Kaur said they have not received any information, despite their efforts. They have even tried to get the word out on Twitter and Facebook, but to no avail.

“Nobody has called. We’ve even reached out to our community, the Punjabi community, we put like news in the…Indian [TV] channels and all that and we haven’t heard anything from anybody yet,” she said. “We’re really very, very worried.”

Rajwinder Kaur is a former social worker who recently became very involved with volunteering at shelters. And that’s where her family was Tuesday night, in Brooklyn, putting up “missing” posters at dozens of shelters in case anyone saw her. The problem is, no one knows which shelter she was going to Sunday night, so they visited dozens of them.

“There may be some bad, cracked person she faced that night, and that’s the scary part,” Bhinder told CBS 2′s Hennessey.

Rajwinder Kaur is described as 5-foot-3 and 130 pounds with a thin build and medium complexion.

Sources within the NYPD told Hennessey she sold some belongings on eBay, joined a cult and that the text sent to the family means “the old Rajwinder is dead to you; the new Rajwinder is with us,” the cult.

But her family wasn’t buying that theory.

“She’s religious; she’s not an extremist,” cousin mini Sharma said.

“It doesn’t make sense. She wouldn’t want to leave us,” Gurpreet Kaur said.

Investigators said there’s no evidence of foul play, but Rajwinder Kaur’s family said there’s also no evidence of her doing anything —using a credit card, ATM, or cell phone. Still, they said they believe she’s alive.

“Yes, I have to believe that,” Gurpreet Kaur said. “We do.”

Anyone with information in regards to this missing is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/07/10/authorities-looking-for-woman-who-went-missing-from-queens-home/

[meme]

Chilling Text Eyed After Woman Vanishes

07/11/2012 2:37 PM

The family of a Queens woman missing since Sunday fears she may be in serious danger.

Police are searching for 26-year-old Rajwinder Kaur, who was last seen Sunday night at her home on 198th Street in Hollis. She left at about 8 p.m. to volunteer at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn and never returned home.

Later that night, Kaur's sister Gurpreet received a text message from her sister's phone.

"It said, 'The girl with this phone is dead,'" Gurpreet Kaur told NBC 4 New York.

"It's too disturbing," she said. "At first when I saw it, I thought it was probably like a joke."

But she knew her sister wouldn't write a message like that.

Police said Kaur's phone was tracked to Brooklyn Sunday night, then shut off. They were in the process of getting a search warrant to go through her emails, law enforcement sources said.

Kaur reportedly sold her family possessions on eBay before disappearing, sources said. Her family said she had become more spiritual after a trip to India last winter, but don't believe she would have disappeared abruptly.

Family members have posted fliers around the neighborhood and in Brooklyn near places where Kaur volunteered. They are offering a $1,000 reward for information.

"I hope this is an awful joke and they find her," said neighbor Nicole Iglesias.

Anyone with information on Kaur is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS or at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

m.nbcnewyork.com/nbcnewyork/pm_107633/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=QhAEuRlT

[meme]

Rajwinder Kaur Fled Arranged Marriage, Found in Texas

Well, it looks like 26-year-old Rajwinder Kaur wasn't harmed after all, which makes it easier to speculate upon the idea that her entire disappearance was plotted. The missing woman was located in Texas on Thursday after allegedly taking a bus from New York on Sunday night. This comes after she sold her belongings on Ebay and then vanished while on the way to volunteer at a homeless shelter.

So what about that ominous text, "The girl with this phone is dead was smiling," that had people worried about her? It truly does appear that this was a hoax, and it's not in the least bit surprising. Rajwinder Kaur took a page right out of the Aisha Khan playbook—another very high-profile missing woman who faked an abduction to get away for unknown reasons. However, in the story of Aisha Khan, the 19-year-old was already married and was likely trying to escape the fundamentalist holds of her environment, enjoying the life of an American woman with freedom. While the differences between the Muslim and Sikh cultures are arguable/debatable, one thing is certain: arranged marriages are the norm, and it's not unlikely for someone to rebel against this tradition.

Well the reason for Rajwinder's disappearance, again, was not surprising. She was fleeing from an arranged marriage! Her family made this seem like a huge surprise, but did they not think to mention that they were putting her into a situation in which she was not willing to be? What's sad is that a family member has arranged to meet her in Texas, where she will most likely be brought back into the very family environment that caused her to flee. Nonetheless, her family is denying the claims of there being a planned wedding, but it doesn't seem like they are being very truthful as media sources allude to the possibility that the missing woman admitted to such.

This case was covered in hink from the beginning, and some people even fought tooth-and-nail to keep the possibilities of this woman's planned disappearance out of the media spotlight. Well, the truth can't be hidden forever, and it's just a relief that this missing woman found herself in a place that was safe instead of the alternative ideas of abduction or joining a cult.

If claims of an arranged marriage are true, then this young woman must understand that in the United States of America, you cannot be forced to wed anybody you do not want to marry. There are plenty of resources available to Rajwinder who can seek help from the government to be placed in a safe house to avoid those who want to push her into marital slavery against her will. She seems like a very nice person and regardless of the elements at play, she deserves to be treated like a human being and not livestock.

news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981470135

[meme]

Rajwinder Kaur found alive after ‘The girl with this phone is dead’ text

Woman who disappeared Sunday and whose phone transmitted a disturbing text message to her sister was found alive in Texas Thursday, officials said.

Rajwinder Kaur, 26, was located in Dallas after a friend went to police and informed them of her location, a law enforcement official said. The friend had purchased a bus ticket to Dallas for Kaur.

It wasn't clear why Kaur was in Texas.

See the original report at NBCNewYork.com

"There are no words to express our sincere gratitude to the NYPD, family, friends and everyone that assisted with this search," Kaur's family said in a statement Thursday."The alarming text message was our biggest concern and we are just relieved that she is alive and well."

Kaur was last seen Sunday night at her home when she left at about 8 p.m. to volunteer at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn and never returned, her family said.

Later that night, Kaur's sister Gurpreet received a text message from her sister's phone.

"It said, 'The girl with this phone is dead,'" Gurpreet Kaur told the station Tuesday.

Gurpreet Kaur didn't think her sister wrote the message.

Police said Rajwinder Kaur's phone was tracked to Brooklyn Sunday night, then it was then shut off.

Rajwinder Kaur reportedly sold her family possessions on eBay before disappearing, sources told NBCNewYork.

usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/13/12723041-missing-new-york-woman-found-alive-after-girl-with-this-phone-is-dead-text?lite