07/06/2026
🕉 shanti shanti shanti
The search for a Melbourne teacher who disappeared in India last month has ended tragically, with reports confirming that his body has been recovered.
According to Indian media, Punjab Police discovered the body of 66-year-old Sunil Sharma in a canal near Harike, approximately 60 kilometres south of the area where he was last seen.
Police have arrested four people in connection with the alleged murder, including Mr Sharma’s brother, sister-in-law and nephew.
Mr Sharma, a mathematics teacher from Diamond Creek in Melbourne, went missing from his residence in Ashyaana Estate, Amritsar, in northern India near the Pakistan border. He had travelled to India to oversee renovations and manage the sale of family properties.
His disappearance prompted an emotional public appeal from his daughter, Surbhi Sharma, who feared her father may have been abducted or harmed.
“My dad is 66 years old, and temperatures in India are exceeding 40 degrees every day. I’m extremely worried about him. I just couldn’t understand where he could be,” she told Australian media at the time.
She explained that her father travelled regularly to India, particularly after the death of her mother four years ago, as he worked towards selling his properties and returning to Australia for retirement.
Ms Sharma also revealed that she and her brother had been advised against travelling to India to conduct their own search.
“We were told not to go because, in cases involving property or money disputes, it’s not uncommon for other family members to also become targets,” she said.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Mr Sharma’s death are continuing.
