Bakshinderpal Singh Mann, who assisted in burying his newborn child before fleeing to Canada, received a six-year prison sentence in California last month. The case concluded with Mann as the final defendant to enter a plea. He admitted no contest to his involvement in the infant’s death. The events began in 2018 in Bakersfield when a 15-year-old girl gave birth in her family home. Her mother, Beant Dhillon, drowned the baby shortly after delivery, citing fears of family dishonor within the local Sikh community due to the girl’s unmarried status. Mann, then 23, helped bury the remains in a shallow backyard grave. The girl’s father learned of the incident afterward and permitted the burial without seeking medical care, concerned about possible deportation and family conflict. The mother was initially told the infant had been placed for adoption. Months later, following a family argument, she disclosed the truth to school counselors, prompting a police investigation. Remains were recovered in February 2019. Mann, already under immigration monitoring, removed his GPS device and escaped to Canada, where he remained for two years until his 2021 arrest. Extradition returned him to Kern County in late 2024. He finalized a plea deal in September 2025 and was sentenced in June. Dhillon was convicted of first-degree murder in 2020 and is serving 29 years. The girl’s father, charged as an accessory, died by suicide in 2019 after release on bail.
