A GRANDMOTHER found guilty of the so-called honour killing of her daughter-in-law has been ordered to hand over cash she defrauded from her victim.

Bachan Athwal, 70, organised a plot to get rid of Surjit Kaur Athwal, 27, during a family holiday in India in December 1998.

She had discovered Surjit was having an affair with a work colleague and planned to leave her son, 43-year-old Sukhdave Athwal.

The mother and son duo hatched a scheme to kill mother-of-two Surjit and she never returned from the Punjab, where it is believed she was strangled and her body dumped in the River Ravi.

Her remains have never been recovered.

Bachan and Sukhdave were both sentenced to life in prison for murdering the young mother.

During their trial last September it emerged they had also defrauded Surjit.

Bachan and Sukhdave forged papers to remove their victim from the deeds of her house in Willow Tree Lane, Hayes, making them the sole owners.

They sold the home for £81,794, making a profit of £40,900. The court heard how the cash was immediately given to other family members.

Prosecutor Michael Worsley, said: "The money was traced into the account of Bachan Athwal and went almost immediately to other persons in the family.

"We would suggest the sensible course is for the funds which had been distributed among various members of the family, to be located and held."

Judge Giles Forrester QC ordered the cash to be recovered and paid into a named account before he rules on whether it will be given to Surjit's children as compensation.

Bachan and Sukhdave, both of Willow Tree Lane, Hayes, were both convicted of murder between December 3 and December 31, 1998.

Sukhdave is serving a minimum of 27 years behind bars for his part in the killing, while pensioner Bachan was warned she may never be released, after being ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years.