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 today 1 March.
Rajwinder Singh, who is being flown from Delhi to Melbourne accompanied by detectives, is accused of killing Toyah Cordingley.
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 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.
Toyah’s family are said to be “delighted” to see their daughter’s alleged killer Rajwinder Singh extradited to Australia.
Singh was arrested in Delhi in November last year, after the Queensland government put up a A$1 million reward for information.
Originally from Buttar Kalan in Punjab, Singh, a nurse, 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 had said, to see Rajwinder Singh extradited would mark “the next stage of delivering justice for Toyah”.
The development had been “a long time coming” he said.
