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By Ida Siegal and Shimon Prokupecz, NBCNewYork.com
The family of a Queens, N.Y., woman missing since Sunday fears she may be in serious danger.
Police are searching for 26-year-old Rajwinder Kaur, who was last seen Sunday night at her home on 198 Street in Hollis. She left at about 8 p.m. to volunteer at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn and never returned home.
Later that night, Kaur's sister Gurpreet received a text message from her sister's phone.
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"It said, 'The girl with this phone is dead,'" Gurpreet Kaur told NBC 4 New York.
"It's too disturbing," she said. "At first when I saw it, I thought it was probably like a joke."
But she knew her sister wouldn't write a message like that.
Police said Kaur's phone was tracked to Brooklyn Sunday night, then shut off. They were in the process of getting a search warrant to go through her emails, law enforcement sources said.
Kaur reportedly sold her family possessions on eBay before disappearing, sources said. Her family said she had become more spiritual after a trip to India last winter, but don't believe she would have disappeared abruptly.
Family members have posted fliers around the neighborhood and in Brooklyn near places where Kaur volunteered. They are offering a $1,000 reward for information.
"I hope this is an awful joke and they find her," said neighbor Nicole Iglesias.
Anyone with information on Kaur is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS or at nypdcrimestoppers.com.
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