Gulf News

Australia murder suspect’s extraditio­n approved

Rajwinder Singh is suspected of killing a woman on a beach four years ago

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Acourt in New Delhi yesterday approved an extraditio­n request for the prime suspect in the killing of a woman on an Australian beach four years ago.

Rajwinder Singh, who is of Indian origin, was arrested in November on the outskirts of Delhi. His arrest came three weeks after he was targeted with a 1 million Australian dollar ($677,000) reward.

Australia had applied to India for Singh’s extraditio­n in March 2021, but he could not be found.

Singh, 38, flew from Sydney to India the day after 24-yearold Australian Toyah Cordingley’s body was found on the Queensland state coast on Oct. 22, 2018.

The court’s order approving Singh’s extraditio­n to Australia will now need to be signed off by the Indian government, which could take a few weeks, said Ajay Digpaul, standing counsel for the federal Indian government.

He added that Singh earlier this month waived his right to challenge the extraditio­n. In November, Australia’s attorney general said Singh’s extraditio­n is a “high priority” for his government and that it will work with Indian authoritie­s to ensure Singh returned to Australia to face justice.

Queensland reward

The Queensland government on Nov. 3 offered the largest reward in the state’s history for informatio­n about Singh.

The reward was unique in that it did not seek a clue that solves a crime and leads to a successful prosecutio­n. Instead, the money is offered for informatio­n that leads only to a suspect’s location and arrest.

Indian police arrested Singh on the same day they received informatio­n about his whereabout­s, Australian Federal Police said in November.

 ?? AP ?? ■ Policemen escort Rajwinder Singh, 38, after he was arrested in New Delhi on November 25, 2022.
AP ■ Policemen escort Rajwinder Singh, 38, after he was arrested in New Delhi on November 25, 2022.

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