The arrest of the wife of a murdered man and her co-accused has become a subject of gossip and discussion in the community.
Amandeep Kaur and Gurjinder Singh are facing charges related to the murder of Davender Singh (35). The Auckland High Court, which had its first hearing on August 20, 2014, lifted the name suppression granted to them earlier.
The accused pleaded not guilty and were remanded into custody until October, after which the Court is likely to set the date for their trial.
Davender Singh is reported to have arrived in New Zealand from his native North-Indian State of Rajasthan seven years ago and was employed at an upholstery firm in the South Auckland suburb of Mangere. Gurjinder Singh, the co-accused, was reportedly employed in the same firm.
Sikhs offer support
Sikh Supreme Council of New Zealand Spokesperson Daljit Singh told Indian Newslink that while the community was shocked to learn that one of the accused was the wife of the victim, the Council’s focus is now on Davender Singh’s ten-year-old son.
“The news of the arrest of Amandeep came as a real shock. Many members of the community were not aware of the charges against her until the Court hearing. Our Council is committed to supporting the family of Davender Singh. We have already collected $32,000 to offer assistance to the victim’s family and for expenses in connection with the transfer of the body to India with the help of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC),” he said.
Operate Bastille
As reported in our last (August 15, 2014) issue, Davender Singh was found dead in his car on Norman Spencer Drive on August 7. The Police launched a homicide investigation named ‘Operation Bastille,’ drafting 20 detectives and carried out a thorough scene examination including the area and the car in which his body was found.
Less than 48 hours later (Saturday August 9), the Detectives arrested Amandeep and Gurjinder, described at that time respectively as ‘a 31-year-old female’ and ‘a 28-year-old male,’ based on the CCTV footage retrieved from a nearby commercial establishment.
They appeared at the Manukau District Court on the same day and were jointly charged with the murder. They were however granted name suppression in order to notify family members in India.
The sequence
The CCTV footage confirmed that Davender and Amandeep stopped outside the Manukau Events Centre in their vehicle at approximately 720 pm on August 7. It was evident from the footage that at the time when he was murdered, a large number of vehicles including a number of buses passed the vehicle. An item of interest (a personal belonging of the victim) was located in Kenderdine Road, Papatoetoe. `
Detective Inspector Dave Lynch, who led the investigation, said that the Detective Police located a weapon of interest to the investigation on August 11.
Police assurance
Stating that the Police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the murder of Mr Singh, Inspector Lynch said, “We are no longer seeking public assistance regarding this investigation. We will continue to work with the community to ensure that they feel safe,” he said.
