Australian police offer record $1 million reward for Indian suspect in murder case
Melbourne (PTI): Police Queensland has announced a record one million dollar reward for the public to catch an Indian nurse who fled to India after allegedly murdering an Australian woman on a beach four years ago in 2018.
Toyah Cordingley, 24, was walking her dog on Wangetti Beach, 40km north of Cairns when she was killed in October 2018, 7news.com reported on Thursday.
Rajwinder Singh, 38, who worked as a nurse in Innisfail, is the key person of interest in the case but fled the country two days after Cordingley was killed, leaving behind his job, wife and three children in Australia, the report added.
Queensland Police is now offering 1 million Australian dollar, the largest ever offered by Queensland police, for information from the public in the ongoing search for Singh, with Detective Acting Superintendent Sonia Smith noting the reward is unique .
We know that Singh departed Cairns on October 22, the day after Toyah was murdered, and then flew from Sydney to India on the 23rd. His arrival in India has been confirmed, she was quoted as saying by 7news.com.
We have confirmed today that the last known location for Singh was India. An investigation centre has also been established in Cairns and police officers from across the state who can speak both Hindi and Punjabi have been flown in, News.com reported.
These officers will be able to receive information from anyone in India who might know Singh's whereabouts via WhatsApp, the report added.
We know that people know this person, they know where this person is and we're asking those people to do the right thing, Police Minister Mark Ryan told reporters on Thursday.
This person is accused of a very heinous crime; a crime which has ripped a family apart.
Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford said in a statement that this was the first time an initial reward of 1 million Australian dollar had been offered in Queensland.
We are very grateful for the Government's support in approving this significant reward which we believe will assist us in tracking down Rajwinder Singh, she said.
It is critical we capture the attention of an international audience to reach this individual.
Police will not give up we remain incredibly determined to find answers for Toyah's family and will do whatever we can to bring them closure.
Cordingley's mother Vanessa Gardiner spoke on Thursday about the reward and her beautiful, spiritual daughter.
Her life was taken way too early. I see her friends and stuff getting married with kids and that now and think of everything she has missed out on in her life, Gardiner said.
She was just about to start her first full-time job on Monday, which never happened.
If you are in #India please use the numbers on these posters pic.twitter.com/eJwLCuPnyI
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) November 3, 2022
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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