Indian man arrested over four-year-old Australian beach murder case
An Indian man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a young woman who was discovered dead on a beach in tropical northern Australia four years ago.
Toyah Cordingley, 24, was attacked in what has been described as a “frenzied and brutal and sadistic” manner, and her death was found in October 2018.
The Queensland government offered a A$1 million (£563,000; $676,487) prize for information earlier this month. Rajwinder Singh, the man accused of killing Toyah, was eventually detained as a result.
He was detained by Indian authorities in Delhi on Friday, according to Queensland police, and a court hearing about his extradition is scheduled to take place soon. He will subsequently be transported to Australia to stand trial.
Queensland police commissioner Katarina Carroll said, “It was never a question of if, but when this day would come. I am very confident we have a strong case to put before the courts.”
When Mr Singh, a nurse, left Australia hours after Toyah’s death was found, he took his three children, wife, and job with him. He was seen on camera at Sydney’s main airport.
A few specifics of Toyah’s death have been revealed by the detectives. On October 21, 2018, she left to walk her dog at Wangetti Beach, which is located halfway between the well-known tourist destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas. She never returned. The following day, her father found her dead partially buried in sand dunes.
In an international search to find Mr Singh, Australian officials have requested the public’s assistance. He was a native of Buttar Kalan in the Indian state of Punjab, and he was residing in Innisfail, about two hours from the crime scene.
(with inputs from agencies)
