A 26-year-old Indian national has been charged over the murder of his housemate in Melbourne’s west on Friday night.
Police was called after Paramjeet Singh – an automotive student – was found with stab wounds in a Maidstone house that he shared with a number of other males, at 6:50 pm on Friday. Mr Singh was declared deceased at the scene.
Police arrested Sandeep Singh Walia – a housemate of Mr Singh, from the house and after questioning, charged him with one count of murder. A 21-year-old man arrested with Mr Walia was later released from custody.
Mr Walia appeared at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Saturday and did not apply for bail. He is due in court on Wednesday.
26-year-old Mr Singh hailed from a village in Tarn Taran district in Punjab, India and had been in Australia for over five years. His grief-stricken father told SBS Punjabi that the news of his son’s death has “shattered” the family.
“It’s difficult for us to believe that he’s gone and in this manner. It’s hard to understand why someone would do this to him,” said Harjinder Singh.
He said he had to sell his agricultural land to fund his son’s education in Australia and now doesn’t have the means to get the dead body repatriated to India.
Officials at the Consulate General of India in Melbourne got in touch with Mr Singh’s family over the phone.
A functionary said the Consulate can help in cases where there’s evidence that the family can’t bear the expenses of repatriation of the mortal remains.
However, Mr Singh’s friends in Melbourne are raising money to send the body to India. An online fundraiser has so far raised over $8,000.
The CGI Melbourne has also requested Victoria police for a report on the incident.
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