Australia extradites Indian man over 2018 beach murder

Rajwinder Singh, who is being flown from Delhi to Melbourne accompanied by detectives, is accused of killing Toyah Cordingley, reports the BBC.

Melbourne: Police in Australia are extraditing an Indian man over the murder of a woman who was found dead on a Queensland beach in 2018, authorities said, adding that he is expected to arrive in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Rajwinder Singh, who is being flown from Delhi to Melbourne accompanied by detectives, is accused of killing Toyah Cordingley, reports the BBC.

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According to detectives, Cordingley, 24, had gone to Wangetti Beach, between the popular tourist hotspots of Cairns and Port Douglas, to walk her dog on October 21, 2018, but never came home.

Her body was discovered by her father the next day, half-buried in sand dunes.

The BBC report said that the 38-year-old accused will first have to appear in court in the state of Victoria, before being moved to Queensland where the crime took place.

He will then face a magistrate in Brisbane, probably later this week, before being remanded in custody.

Singh was arrested in Delhi in November last year, after the Queensland government put up a A$1 million ($672,000) reward for information.

Originally from Buttar Kalan in Punjab, Singh had been living in Innisfail at the time of the murder which is about two hours from the crime scene.

Australian police have alleged that the accused fled the country just hours after the murder and had been staying in Punjab since evading arrest.

At the time of Singh’s arrest, Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said the development had been “a long time coming” and marked “the next stage of delivering justice for Toyah”.