Toyah’s suspected killer nabbed in India
Fugitive caught after police offer $1m reward
TOYAH Cordingley’s suspected killer has been arrested in India.
Police recently announced they were offering a reward of
to help them find fugitive Rajwinder Singh who fled to India two days after the young Queensland woman was murdered.
The reward was the largest in the state’s history and was highly unusual because it related to information leading to his capture, rather than a conviction.
Ms Cordingley was 24 when she was attacked and killed in October, 2018, while walking her dog along the picturesque North Queensland Wangetti Beach.
Her body was found by her father the following morning during a frantic search conducted by friends and family.
Police later discovered Innisfail nurse Mr Singh had boarded a plane to India two days after Ms Cordingley’s murder, leaving behind his job, his wife and their three children.
Police early this month released images of Mr Singh leaving the country on October 23. He flew out of Cairns Airport to Sydney before travelling on to India.
Detectives from Queensland travelled to India at the time of the reward announcement to liaise with local police.
A government source said Indian authorities issued a warrant for Mr Singh’s arrest earlier this week, before arresting him yesterday.
He said Mr Singh would face court in India later on in the day yesterday, local time.
Indian authorities issued the warrant, related to the killing of Toyah Cordingley, following the extradition request from Australia.
The extradition process could take months or more, as it goes through the legal system.
The Queensland Police Service was expected to address the media.
In response to the boosted reward, Toyah’s dad Troy said justice was the least his daughter deserved.
“Toyah was a young woman who will never get the chance to live a full life and all that entails – never get the chance to live, laugh and love,
never get the chance to have children or grandchildren, to grow old. She’ll never get the chance to live the life she deserved.”
Mr Cordingley said justice would not bring his daughter back, but it was “the very least that she deserves”.
“At the very minimum, this person must be removed from society and held accountable for their crime,” he said.
Toyah’s mum Vanessa said her daughter was a beautiful spiritual person.
“And her life was taken way too early,” she said.
“I see her friends and stuff married with kids now and think of everything she has missed out on in her life.
“She was just about to start her first full-time job on the Monday which never happened.”
Vanessa said her daughter loved “everyone” and animals.
“She would do anything for anybody,” she said.
“A lot of people knew Toyah for Toyah but they didn’t actually know her.
“Because she was such a great person, her personality and helping people, she just stuck out in the crowd.”
Vanessa said she couldn’t believe police had announced a reward and that her daughter would not have expected such publicity.
“I’m hoping that someone will come through with information and Toyah gets the justice that she deserves.
“I know they (police) haven’t stopped, there is so much behind the scenes that people don’t understand. There is so much stuff that you can’t say to your family and friends and especially about the reward, when I found out I just wanted to tell everybody.
“I can’t believe that it is $1 million but Toyah deserves that. She deserves every bit of it.”