Promised to come back for dinner but never came back: Indian-born Ramandeep Dhillon killed in New Zealand highway crash

An Indian father died in a two-car collision while working a late-night Uber shift in New Zealand, leaving his family devastated.Ramandeep Dhillon, 36, of Pāpāmoa, died when the vehicle he was driving crashed on the Te Puke Highway between Bell Road and Poplar Lane about 7.15pm on Wednesday.One person died at the scene and two passengers in another vehicle were injured, police said. The circumstances of the accident remain under investigation and have been referred to the coroner.Earlier that evening, Dhillon had left home after spending time with his wife Veerpal Kaur and 18-month-old daughter Kudrat. He told them he would come back later for dinner, but never came back.When he stopped answering the phone, concern grew until police arrived later that night and informed his wife of his death.“I cried, I cried, I cried. I feel like my life is ruined now,” Kaur told the New Zealand Herald.Dhillon was born in the Indian state of Punjab and moved to New Zealand in 2015 on a student visa. After being introduced through family connections, he returned to India in 2024 to marry Kaul.After their marriage, the couple settled in Papamoa in the Bay of Plenty, where they worked in a kiwi orchard before Dhillon began driving for Uber to support the family and spend more time at home after their daughter was born.Kaul said the job gives him the flexibility to stay close to his children and described how excited he is to become a father.“He was so excited when he found out he was going to be a dad,” she told the New Zealand Herald.The couple named their daughter Kudrat, which means “nature.” Since his death, the child has been asking where her father is.Friends and family described Dillon as a devoted husband and father who always prioritized time with his daughter, even during breaks from work.A close friend told the New Zealand Herald: “If he missed his daughter he would go home, spend time with her and then go back to work.”His best friend of 12 years, Gurlabh Singh, said Dhillon was a positive, caring person who supported those around him, including picking him up at the airport when he first arrived in New Zealand.A Givealittle page set up for the family has raised tens of thousands of dollars to help pay for funeral expenses, rent and living expenses as Kaul and their daughter face life without him.