The husband of a young mother whose body was found stuffed inside a wheelie bin on an isolated road in Victoria flew to India with their son and handed him to in-laws before disappearing, according to Indian police.
It comes as a former homicide detective says Ashok Raj Varikuppala should be a “significant person of interest” in the death of his wife, Chaithanya “Swetha” Madhagani, 30, after her body was discovered just after midday on Saturday inside a green waste bin at Buckley, about 37 kilometres west of Geelong.
Mr Varikuppala flew back to India in recent days with their son Arya, 3, sources close to the investigation previously told the Herald Sun.
An Indian police spokesman, Inspector Veera Swamy at Kushaiguda police station in Hyderabad, told the newspaper on Monday, “As per the details with us, her husband visited the mother-in-law [the deceased’s mother] a few days ago and handed him his son. After that he left. No one from the family has registered any complaint against anyone yet. We will help in investigations if someone approaches us. As of now, we don’t know where he is as we are not investigating the case without any complaint.”
Victoria Police has not confirmed if Mr Varikuppala is a suspect or if it will be seeking an extradition. The Australian Federal Police said it was aware of the investigation.
Police have been contacted for further comment.
On Monday, former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina said it was “clearly suspicious that her husband has fled overseas to India and then he has contacted family members to alert them as to where the wheelie bin is containing his wife’s body”.
“He is certainly a significant person of interest … and it may not be too long before they issue a warrant of apprehension,” he told Seven’s Sunrise.
“They will then be dealing with our government to deal with the Indian government, in an effort … to locate him in India, with a view to see what he has to say about it, and hopefully the end game would be to extradite him back to Victoria.”
Mr Varikuppala has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Police have scoured their home for evidence and seized a luxury car.
Mr Bezzina said it could take years to settle the case if any extradition is fought.
“It will ultimately be left to the Indian courts, should he be apprehended under a Victorian apprehension warrant,” he said.
“He certainly has the provision to fly back to Victoria himself and, hopefully, give himself up or come and see the police to give his side of the story.”
Two crime scenes have now been established, one at Mount Pollock Road and a second at the couple’s home on Mirka Way in Point Cook in southwestern Melbourne.
The sites are about 82 kilometres apart.
A police spokesman confirmed on Sunday the line of investigation at the second scene was linked to the deceased woman.
Mount Pollock Road, which connects to Princes Highway, was closed off to traffic at 12.30pm.
Eric Lewis, who owns the land either side of where Swetha’s body was found, said he heard of the police search on the “bush telegraph”.
“I’m flabbergasted,” he said.
“What is happening here in Buckley, I just can’t believe it.”
Earlier, photos from the Mount Pollock Road scene showed a heavy police presence, including a helicopter and members of Victorian Police’s VIPER Taskforce.
“The VIPER Taskforce is a statewide capability that provides a tactical and investigative response to serious and organised crime, including youth gangs and their networks,” Victoria Police stated.
“It delivers a multifaceted intelligence-led response that supports Regional and Specialist Commands.”
Mount Pollock Road is a gravel stretch with farmland on either side.
Photos taken at the site show the bin with a green lid half-hidden in the bushland beside a crumpled bundle of white material, which is laying on the ground nearby.
When police arrived on the isolated road, they found the body of the young mother-of-one had been placed inside the bin.