An Indian-origin nurse, identified as Rajwinder Singh, 38, accused of killing an Australian woman in Queensland in 2018 has been arrested following a long spell of manhunt. The development was confirmed by Queensland Police on Twitter. Reports claimed that Singh was arrested by Delhi Police in the national capital. “We can confirm a man has been arrested in India today following a significant investigation into the tragic death of Toyah Cordingley in Far North Queensland in 2018,” Queensland Police tweeted.
Singh was accused of killing 24-year-old Toyah Cordingly in Far North Queensland. She had gone to the beach to walk her dog. At the time of the incident, he was reportedly working as a nurse at Innisfail, south of Cairns.
Earlier this month, the Queensland Police had announced a 1 million Australian dollar ($633,000) bounty for information on the whereabouts of Singh. This was the largest ever reward announced by the police department. According to a report by MailOnline, Cordingley drove to the beach on October 21, 2018, before the pharmacy worker was allegedly attacked and murdered at the beach. Her father discovered her body the next day, buried in a shallow grave with her dog tied nearby.
Police later identified Singh as a suspect, and the report further stated that he flew from Cairns to Sydney after the alleged murder before boarding a plane to India two days after the incident. Singh reportedly left behind his wife and three children in Australia.
The Queensland Police had also released images of Singh at the Sydney International Airport earlier this month, just moments before he left the country.
His family, the MailOnline report added, has, however, denied his involvement in the case, saying he is not “capable” of murder and that his departure from Australia two days after the incident was “coincidental”.