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After an Indian immigrant was found dead in a Walmart oven, the Sikh community is supporting the family
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After an Indian immigrant was found dead in a Walmart oven, the Sikh community is supporting the family

The Sikh community in Halifax, Canada, is rallying around the family of Gursimran Kaur, a 19-year-old Walmart employee who was found dead in the store’s walk-in oven on Saturday.

Community leaders who knew the family said Kaur and her mother immigrated to Canada from India about two years ago and both women worked together at that Walmart location.

Kaur’s mother, who found the body, was traumatized, advocates said.

Indian Walmart immigrant found dead in Walmart oven
An exterior view of the Walmart Supercenter in Halifax, NS, Canada, where Gursimran Kaur worked.Google Maps

“The day I first saw her was the day the incident occurred. She was really desperate. She was really in a lot of pain,” Satnam Randhawa, board member of the Halifax Maritime Sikh Society, told NBC News.

Local authorities say the investigation into Kaur’s death is ongoing and the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

“The community is shocked by the whole incident,” Harjit Seyan, president of the Sikh Society, told Canadian broadcaster Global News. “We’re really upset.”

Last week, the Sikh Society organized a community-wide show of support. A GoFundMe started in the family’s name has raised nearly $80,000 Canadian.

The fundraiser described the series of events that led to Kaur’s body being discovered in the oven, saying her mother was worried after not seeing her in the store for an hour. She tried asking about her whereabouts and calling her phone before she finally came across the gruesome scene.

Kaur and her mother both regularly attended the Sikh society’s gurdwara, or worship center, Randhawa said. Now its members are trying to fly out Kaur’s father and her ten-year-old brother, who are still in India.

“Of course the immediate family are absolutely shocked. They are in some kind of trauma,” Seyan said.

The Walmart where the death occurred is closed until further notice.

“We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our employee and his family. Our focus remains on taking care of our employees and ensuring they have the support they need,” a company spokesperson told NBC News. “As police said, this is a very complex matter and investigations are ongoing.”

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