The possible extradition of a man who flew to India before his wife was found in a wheelie bin could be easier than expected after he renounced Indian citizenship.
The body of Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani, 30, was found stuffed into a green rubbish bin on Mount Pollock Road in Buckley, west of Geelong, Victoria, on March 9.
Homicide detectives have said they want to speak to Madhagani’s husband, Ashok Raj Varikuppala, in connection with the death.
The couple became Australian citizens in a bid to build a life away from their homeland of India. The Herald of the Sun reported.
The Constitution of India does not allow dual citizenship, which simplifies the possible extradition of Mr. Varikuppala, since he is classified as a foreign citizen.
Homicide detectives have said they want to speak to Madhagani’s husband, Ashok Raj Varikuppala, in connection with the death.
A homicide investigation was launched after Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani’s body was found in a wheelie bin at her home in Buckley, west of Geelong, in March.
Varikuppala is believed to have taken her three-month-old son to India before arriving at Madhagani’s family home unannounced and handing her over to him.
The Herald Sun reports that during this interaction, he confessed to killing Ms Madhagani by strangulation and asked for their forgiveness.
“As soon as I put my hand on my grandson’s head, his father, Ashok, knelt down, grabbed my feet and started crying, saying, ‘I’m sorry for what I did, Chaithanya is no more, I killed her,'” he said. Mrs. Madhagani. her father, Balshetty Madhagani, told the publication.
An extradition request must first include a brief of evidence to be presented to the court as part of a criminal proceeding.
That report will be delivered to Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and then shared with Indian officials through diplomatic channels.
Indian officials granted a similar request for the extradition of Rajwinder Singh, an Australian citizen of Indian origin, in January 2023.
Singh is accused of stabbing 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley to death while she was walking her dog on a Queensland beach in October 2018.
He was brought back to Australia and is awaiting trial on July 22, 2024.
Investigators have said they want to speak to Mr Varikuppala about the death (pictured, police at the house).
The husband took their young son to India and left them with Madhagani’s family, where he allegedly admitted to killing her by strangulation.
WhatsNew2Day Australia previously revealed two people allegedly burglarized the family’s home and stole a car just four days before the mother was found dead.
Police subsequently arrested a man and woman at a property on Kiely Avenue in Werribee about 1pm on March 13 and found a vehicle stolen from the Point Cook address.
A police spokesperson revealed that investigators “do not believe the theft is related to the Homicide Squad’s current investigation linked to this property.”
Friends have since described Madhagani as “a perfect woman and a perfect mother” who lived for her young son.
Madhagani used to cook and share food and would invite people to her home, her friends said.
A neighbor said he was “in disbelief” at the news and that his son had attended a birthday party for the couple’s son.
I had known the family for three years,
“They are a very good and nice family, I have never seen them argue,” he said.