Indian-Origin Woman Found Dead In Australia; Cops Suspect Husband

A woman identified as Chaithanya 'Shwetha' Madhagani, originally from Hyderabad, was found dead in a roadside garbage bin in Australia's Buckley. According to a Press Trust of India report, the 36-year-old's husband flew to India soon after her death and handed over their three-year-old son to her parents before disappearing. According to Uppal MLA Bandari Lakshma Reddy, since Madhagini was from his constituency, he met her parents on March 10 after being informed about the matter. The legislator told PTI that Madhagani's husband allegedly confessed the crime to his in-laws while dropping off the child.

Indian Woman Murdered In Australia

Reddy further told PTI that at the request of her parents, he wrote a letter to the Foreign Office to bring her body to Hyderabad. He added that Union Minister G Kishan Reddy had also been informed about the incident.

Chaithanya Madhagani was found dead in a bin by a resident on March 9 in Australia's Buckley. Victoria Police registered a case and said in a statement, "Homicide Squad detectives are investigating after a deceased person was located in Buckley, near Winchelsea. Officers located the deceased person on Mount Pollock Road about midday."

The police mentioned that a second crime scene had been established at a residential address on Point Cook's Mirka Way. The Victoria Police believe that this crime scene is connected to the homicide and added that the investigators are treating the death as suspicious. The police leading the probe said in a statement that at this stage in the investigation, it is believed the parties involved are known to one another and the offender may have fled overseas.

Tributes Pour In

Friends and family of the victim, Chaithanya Madhagani, expressed deep shock and grief on hearing the news of her death. Praveen Kumar Thopucherla, the executive chairperson of the Melbourne Telangana Forum, told Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that Madhagani was very active in the community, and regularly attended events.

"We are not able to digest this. It is too far to think or even imagine," he said on behalf of the community members. He told ABC that she came to Australia as a student and settled there and acquired Australian citizenship. Madhagani and her husband and son lived in Point Cook, Victoria, for the last three years.

A neighbour whose name has not been disclosed told ABC that they were a "very lovely, very outgoing and friendly" family. "She was so friendly and she adored her kid, her son. She was just talking about like the school and kindergartens and what to do and all those sorts of things and then she wanted to catch up regularly. They were a very simple family — I would say nothing out of the ordinary."

A Victoria Police spokesperson earlier said there was no immediate threat to the community and no arrests had been made.