4 more Indians attacked in Australia

MELBOURNE: In fresh incidents of violence against Indians in Australia, four community youths, including three cabbies, were attacked in two separate incidents in Brisbane, a media report said on Thursday.

“Four more attacks on Indians in Brisbane, Queensland, took place,” Sky news reported without giving out any more information about the victims. “Three of them have been directed at cab drivers, one who told how he was punched and dragged from his taxi,” it said. Indian cabbies are believed to be accounting for over 70% of the cab driving jobs thus are said to be more prone to such attacks. The latest attacks against Indians were 10th in this month.

In a separate incident, a 23-year-old pizza delivery youth was bashed up with a cricket bat and robbed while making a delivery in Brisbane.

Meanwhile, Brisbane-based Indian consul S D Singh told PTI that police on Wednesday informed him about the attacks and also arrested one person involved in one of the incident. He said he had no further details of the incidents.

“Indian high commissioner Sujatha Singh will reach Brisbane today and will meet community leaders and members of the Queensland police to discuss the recent spate of attacks,” Singh said. The meeting is expected to be held tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Australian authorities on Thursday arrested a couple in connection with the killing of an Indian, whose partially burnt body was found dumped by the side of a road in the New South Wales Riverina in December last year.

A 23-year-old man and his 20-year-old wife, who have not been identified, were arrested at two addresses in Sans Souci in Sydney's south just after 11 am on Thursday, police said.

Victim Ranjodh Singh's body was found beside Wilga Road, Willbriggie, near Griffith, on December 29. 25-year-old Singh was last seen on the streets of Griffith three nights before his body was found.

He had recently moved to Wagga Wagga but was staying in Griffith to pick pumpkins and was living in a shared house with other farm workers from India.

The media reports here said it is understood that Singh joined a group of friends for pizza at Eagle Boys on the last night he was seen.

One of his friends had been around town longer than Singh — who arrived in Australia a little more than a year ago — and had set himself up as a contractor. He befriended Singh and employed him. The group finished their pizza and went to a party at a nearby flat.

They drank grappa and celebrated the birthday of one of the men, but there was tension in the air and some time before midnight a fight broke out, though it is not known who was involved.