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Police are “nearing the end” of an internal investigation into the murder of an Auckland student who told police she was in “extreme fear” of a stalker, two weeks before he murdered her.
Farzana Yaqubi, 21, was murdered last December by Kanwarpal Singh, who was sentenced to 17years in prison after pleading guilty to murder.
On Friday, relieving Waitematā District Commander Superintendent Shanan Gray told the Herald that following Yaqubi’s murder police initiated its own investigation.
“Police are currently awaiting the final IPCA report findings, and are nearing the end of our own internal investigation.”
Gray said that police were in the process of progressing the matter further when Yaqubi was murdered.
“Police had reached a point where we had interviewed Ms Yaqubi to ascertain the full circumstances and were progressing towards confirming the identity and whereabouts of the man involved.”
Asked if police stood by its response to Yaqubi, Gray said police were waiting on the IPCA and the internal investigation.
“At which point we will be in a better position to comment on what more could have done to prevent this tragic outcome.”
‘The situation has escalated even further’
Last week police released a series of documents in relation to Yaqubi’s death to the Herald under the Official Information Act.
The documents include Yaqubi’s first online report to police on October 25, 2022.
She said Singh had since January that year been threatening to throw acid on her face via messages as well as “threatening my safety and life verbally”.
He had also harassed and stalked her in public and outside her workplace as well as on her way home.
She said they met about a year and a half ago on Queen St, while he was working. An “acquaintance” was made, they had a coffee date out of “pity”, she said.
“Made clear I saw nothing further but since then has continued to harass me regarding his hopes for a future with me.”
Singh had “somehow found my workplace and began showing up and harassing me”, she said. He had also made “countless” social media profiles to message and harass her.
On October 25 she sent police eight screenshots of the “threatening texts” to police.
On December 3, Yaqubi went to the police again to update her previous report.
The event details in the police internal system say: “The situation has escalated even further”.
“I’m in extreme fear of the actions he may take against me that would result in life-threatening results.”
A police officer spoke with Yaqubi and requested she go to a police station to give a statement about what had occurred and to take all the supporting information.
On December 6 Singh sent her two videos. One was taken outside her house.
An excerpt from Yaqubi’s witness interview from December 6 says Singh, who was a security guard on Queen St, would “be staring at me whenever I walked past” for about a month.
She said during their initial coffee she found him “really pushy” and she left after 30 minutes.
He continued trying to contact her using other names.
“I knew it was him because he always used the name KB and with his photo.”
He also sent her threatening messages on Instagram.
On August 24, 2022, he texted “Hey if you don’t wanna say anything I will kidnap u n give u 365 days to fall in love with me”.
Two days later he texted: “Hey Zana, sorry to say I think I’m gonna end up throwing acid on ur face, I just don’t think so u r a good girl”. She said the message was later unsent after she said she was going to report it to police.
Singh also added members of her family on Instagram.
Kanwarpal Singh. Photo / Jason Oxenham
According to the police’s internal system, a physical copy of her statement was mailed to Mt Roskill Station on December 12.
That day Yaqubi called a police officer and checked on the investigation progress. The officer advised the case was awaiting for assignment.
Yaqubi said she would like to be contacted by email only, and that she did not want police to visit her home address, call her or text her.
On December 18, Yaqubi finished work at the Westgate Mall and caught the bus to Royal Heights.
She got off the bus and walked to an alleyway near the Waitākere Badminton Centre on her way to the home she shared with her family in Cedar Heights Ave.
Singh was waiting in the carpark of the centre in his Toyota.
When he saw her walking in the alleyway, he approached her wielding a large knife.
When Yaqubi saw Singh, she tried to call the police.
He stabbed her several times in the stomach and chest.
As she fell to the ground screaming, Singh continued stabbing as he stood over her.
Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers crime. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
