MELBOURNE/NEW DELHI: Even as India reiterated an earlier advisory cautioning students against going to Australia, the New South Wales police
ruled out a race angle in the murder of Indian national Ranjodh Singh last month and arrested three Indians, including a young couple, for the crime.
The couple, identified as 23-year-old Gurpreet Singh and his 20-year-old wife, Harpreet Bhullar, were charged with murdering Ranjodh Singh, 25, a fruit picker, whose body was found half burned beside a road near Griffith city in New South Wales on December 29 last year.
Gurpreet was arrested on Thursday from a Sydney car wash where he worked. The couple faced a local court on Friday and were formally refused bail by magistrate Bernard Kennedy.
A Punjabi interpreter will be arranged for their next court appearance, due on February 3, at the Wagga Wagga local court.
Police arrested another man, aged 25, in Wagga Wagga city on Thursday and charged him with murder. The man, who was not identified, too is due to appear in court on February 3.
New South Wales police assistant commissioner Mark Murdoch said all three accused knew Ranjodh Singh, who was murdered last month in Australia and ruled out race as a motive for the killing. "We will allege that all three people that we’ve now detained over this matter were well acquainted with the victim, Singh, and were involved in the fruit picking industry in the Griffith area," Murdoch said.
Ranjodh was stabbed multiple times and set ablaze while still alive. His body was flown to New Delhi on Thursday. It will be taken to his native place, Nabha in Punjab, for last rites.
In New Delhi, minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur again advised Indian students against visiting Australia for the moment following the string of attacks on Indian nationals. "We are doing all that we can. An advisory has been issued not to visit Australia," Preneet said.
"We are pressuring the Australian government to find the reasons behind the attacks, why have they happened and how they have happened," she added.
The minister said the Australian government was "now open to investigations taking place because of the meeting between foreign minister S M Krishna and his counterpart in London".