Weeks after Gujarat woman’s murder in Canada, parents’ wait continues: ‘Please bring her body home’
She was allegedly stabbed during a robbery attempt and succumbed to injuries. A 40-year-old man, Joshua St. Omer of St. Catharines, was later arrested by the Niagara Regional Police Service and charged with second-degree murder.
Vidhi's parents wrote to the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) and Gujarat government authorities on May 28, seeking help navigating the repatriation process. The father had also separately reached out to the MP's office.
FOR TWO weeks until May 28, Kalpesh and Vaishali Megha clung to silence they could not comprehend. Their only daughter Vidhi’s phone had gone dead after their last video call on May 14. Messages went undelivered. Calls went unanswered. In their family home in Borsad, hope slowly gave way to dread – until district officials arrived with the news no parent should have to hear. Their 22-year-old daughter had been stabbed to death in Canada on May 14.
She was allegedly stabbed during a robbery attempt and succumbed to injuries. A 40-year-old man, Joshua St. Omer of St. Catharines, was later arrested by the Niagara Regional Police Service and charged with second-degree murder.
Now, shattered by grief, the parents have just one plea – that the mortal remains of their daughter be brought back so that she can be accorded a respectful funeral. As the family struggles to navigate the complex international process of repatriating the mortal remains, Anand MP Mitesh Patel has written to the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian diplomatic authorities in Toronto, seeking immediate intervention to expedite the return of Vidhi’s body so her final rites can be performed in her hometown.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Vidhi’s father, Kalpesh Megha said on Saturday, “It was on the 13th day that we were informed about her death… As per Indian customs, we complete the basic final rites as well as the necessary rituals by the 13th day. But here, in our case, we are still waiting for my daughter’s body to be released… We have been told that the processes are ongoing. Her death certificate is yet to be issued…”
Vidhi’s parents wrote to the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) and Gujarat government authorities on May 28, seeking help navigating the repatriation process. The father had also separately reached out to the MP’s office.
Megha says that although the incident occurred on May 14 and as per a statement issued later by the NRPS, Vidhi had succumbed on the spot, the family was only informed about the death 13 days later, while her body was held over for processes to be completed by the Provincial Coroner and Medical Examiner. Megha said, “The processes there are exhaustive, we have been told… My brother-in-law is in Canada and so, he is overseeing the paperwork. But we are waiting for updates as the mandatory autopsy, embalming and other legal steps will have to be completed before the body is repatriated. We are not in the mental state to process anything.”
MP’s Patel’s letter, sent on May 29, is addressed to the High Commission in Toronto, the Consulate General, and the External Affairs Minister’s office, urging them to expedite documentation, coordinate with Canadian authorities for the release and certification of the remains, and arrange airline and cargo logistics for transportation to India.
Patel said, “I have contacted the MEA as the coordination can help expedite the process since the family has been waiting for long… We have complete hopes that the government of India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ensure that the family’s agony can be reduced by ensuring that Vidhi’s mortal remains can be brought back by Wednesday, as per the family’s wish. We are standing with the family in this hour of grief and we will extend whatever support we can.”
Vidhi – the only child of her parents – had been living in Canada for four years, most recently in St. Catharines, where she was studying business management, working part-time, and had enrolled in a Personal Support Worker (PSW) Honours course. She had shifted from Hamilton to St. Catharines just around two weeks before the fatal attack.
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