Man suspected of murdering woman on remote Queensland beach extradited to Australia from India

Rajwinder Singh, 38, brought to Australia on a flight from Delhi to Melbourne

File. Policemen escort Rajwinder Singh, 38, after he was arrested in New Delhi, India, 25 November 2022 (AP)

A man suspected of murdering a woman on a remote Queensland beach in Australia has been extradited from India, according to reports.

Rajwinder Singh, 38, was brought to Australia on a Qantas flight from Delhi to Melbourne on Tuesday.

Queensland police have told a Melbourne court that it has DNA evidence linking Mr Singh to the death of Toyah Cordingley.

Cordingley was found dead in 2018 on a beach north of Cairns in Queensland. Now Mr Singh is expected to face charges over her death.

On Tuesday, within hours of landing in Australia, Mr Singh was brought before a Melbourne Magistrates Court where he was remanded in custody.

Local media reported that a hearing for Mr Singh’s extradition to Cairns was suspended until Wednesday, as arrangements for his transfer were made.

Queensland police’s acting superintendent Kevin Goan told the court that Mr Singh “fled to India, abandoning his family and his employment in Innisfail. Investigators relied upon DNA evidence which links Mr Singh to her homicide”.

Mr Singh was arrested in New Delhi in November last year after years of manhunt. His arrest came after the Queensland state government put up a $672,000 reward for information about the killing.

Mr Singh entered a “willingness statement” at a Delhi court to formally waive his right to challenge extradition to Australia.

Mr Singh was wanted in the murder of Cordingley, 24, who was found dead on Wangetti Beach of Queensland state on 22 October 2018 after what has been described as a “frenzied and brutal and sadistic” attack.

Mr Singh, who travelled to India days after Cordingley’s murder, formally expressed his consent to be extradited to Australia earlier this year, it was reported.

He also claimed that he did not kill Cordingley and called himself an eyewitness to the crime in what are his first public statements since the incident.

Meanwhile, Indian police handed him over to Australian officers at Delhi’s international airport on Tuesday night.

Police say Mr Singh flew to Punjab in India on 23 October 2018, the day after Cordingley’s body was found.

ABC News reported that Cordingley’s family was “clearly overwhelmed” and “delighted”.

“Toyah’s family has been included every step of the way in this process,” Mr Goan added.