A man wanted for the murder of Toyah Cordingley in North Queensland has been arrested in India.
The breakthrough comes just weeks after a one-million-dollar reward was announced for information leading to the arrest of Rajwinder Singh.
Toyah was attacked and killed while walking her dog along Wangetti Beach, just north of Cairns, in October 2018.
Her body was discovered by her own father during a desperate search for the 24-year-old after she failed to return home.
Singh, the prime suspect in the case, fled to India in the days after her death, leaving behind his job, wife and three children.
Detective Acting Superintendent Sonia Smith told reporters earlier this month that investigations into Toyah’s death remained a priority and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“We strongly believe there are people in Australia and overseas who could share information about the whereabouts of Rajwinder Singh,” Superintendent Smith said.
“This is most definitely the time to come forward and tell us what you know.”
Queensland and Federal Police have confirmed information was received today about Singh’s whereabouts before he was taken into custody.
He is expected to face court in India in the coming hours with Australian officials to apply for his extradition at a later date.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll says they are thrilled with the breakthrough.
“Police received information on the whereabouts of the individual and today he was arrested by Indian law enforcement in New Delhi,” Commissioner Carroll said.
“It is anticipated he will face court in India and be subject to extradition proceedings to Australia. The man was believed to be avoiding apprehension in the Punjab region in India.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan has praised the dedication of investigators.
“I really wanted to take this opportunity to commend the Queensland Police Service and its partner agencies for the hard work that they have done, not just in recent times, but since 2018,” Mr Ryan said.
“They’ve been relentless, they never gave up and today they’ve made a significant step towards delivering justice for court for Toya.”
AFP Commander Transnational Operations Richard Chin said AFP investigators worked tirelessly with their state and international counterparts to ensure the man was apprehended to face extradition back to Australia.
“We hope that today’s arrest brings some closure to the victim’s family following an agonising four years of uncertainty,” he said.
“The AFP acknowledges the close relationship with Indian Law Enforcement and QPS which have allowed us to work effectively and achieve this significant outcome.”
Commissioner Carroll says it’s not clear at this stage whether the reward has directly led to the arrest and whether they will have to pay out the $1 million.
“The process will be followed in relation to the million dollars. However, if it has led to this person’s arrest I will happily, happily write out that cheque myself.
“I’m not aware of what information came together to make the arrest yet. But certainly, in terms of the reward, there is a process that we now go through in respect to that.
