Friends and neighbors have paid tribute to a young mother of a child whose body was found stuffed in a wheelie bin under trees in a meadow.
Police made the grim discovery inside a green rubbish bin on Mount Pollock Rd in Buckley, west of Geelong, about midday on Saturday.
The woman’s body is believed to be that of Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani, who had a young son with her husband Ashok Raj Varikuppala.
A second crime scene has also been declared at a house in Point Cook, south-west of Melbourne, 86 kilometers from where her body was found.
A neighbor and good friend of Madhagani expressed surprise at the news.
The body found dumped in a wheelie bin in Buckley, near Geelong, is believed to be Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani.
Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani (pictured with her husband and son) was full of life, according to friends
Police made the grim discovery inside a green rubbish bin on Mount Pollock Rd in Buckley, west of Geelong, on Saturday.
“She was one of the sweetest little girls who ever lived,” the neighbor told the Herald of the sun.
“Everyone would like to have Swetha in their lives.”
“She was full of life; I can’t believe she’s gone.
“A life is lost, it is worse that it was found somewhere else, we all deserve dignity.”
Another neighbor said he was “in disbelief” at the news and that his son had attended a birthday party for the couple’s son.
“They are a very good, nice family,” he said of the couple.
“I’ve never seen them argue.”
Sources with knowledge of the investigation told the publication that Varikuppala flew back to India in recent days with the couple’s son.
He reportedly called family members in Victoria to inform them of Ms Madhagani’s death.
The Herald Sun also reported that Varikuppala has stated that he is willing to cooperate with the authorities.
There is no suggestion that Mr Varikuppala was in any way involved in his wife’s death.
Her husband Ashok Raj Varikuppala (pictured left) has reportedly flown to India in recent days but is in contact with the authorities.
Eric Lewis, who owns land near the spot on Mt Pollock Rd where her body was, was “stunned” by the horrific discovery.
He said he arrived at the scene after hearing something on the “Bush telegraph,” but the police didn’t tell him anything.
“What’s happening here in Buckley, I just can’t believe it,” he said.
Mr Lewis told Nine News: “I was a couple of meters short of my ground.”
“I’ve never seen a wheelie bin lying there and I go up and down there quite often.”
Another local recalled walking through the area on Friday and noticed a pungent smell, which he assumed was a dead sheep.
A third long-term resident said the discovery was “disturbing” and would shake the tight-knit local community.
Photos from the Mount Pollock Rd scene where the woman’s body was found show a heavy police presence, including a helicopter, homicide detectives and members of Victoria Police’s VIPER task force.
The VIPER Task Force is a state capacity that provides a tactical and investigative response to organized and serious crime.
Investigators have yet to determine the precise circumstances of Swetha’s remains.
Mount Pollock Rd is a stretch of gravel with farmland on either side.
No arrests have been made yet.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A neighbor and friend of Madhagani said she was the “sweetest little girl” and “the perfect mother.”
The grisly discovery was made on Mt Pollock Rd (pictured) in Buckley, near Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, around midday on Saturday.