Oz teenager charged with murder in Nitin Garg's killing

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Jun 17 (PTI) A-15 year old Australian boy
was Thursday charged with the murder of Indian student Nitin
Garg, with the police saying there was no racial motive in the
killing, which had sent shock waves back home.
The breakthrough in the high-profile case, which
threatened to derail India-Australia ties, came with the
police arresting the teenaged suspect early on Thursday
morning.
The teenager who cannot be named was produced before a
Children's Court after his arrest in a Melbourne suburb.
Garg, 21, was stabbed to death while walking to work
through a park on January 2, and the incident was one in a
series of violent attacks against Indians in Australia.
The crime which came in for strong condemnation both
in New Delhi and Canberra, with Indian External Affairs
Minister S M Krishna describing it as a "heinous crime on
humanity" and "an uncivilised brutal attack on innocent
Indians".
However, the Victorian police, who made the arrest,
said there were no racial motive found in the killing of Garg
investigations so far.
"In our inquiries at this stage we don't believe
(Garg's death) was racially motivated," Detective Inspector
handling the case, Bernie Edwards said.
"It's relatively clear why it happened and how it
happened but I won't speculate on the motive," he said.
He further said there was no evidence of gang
involvement in Garg's death.
Victorian police have not identified the 15-year-old
suspect and haven't disclosed the details of the crime because
of legal issues in dealing with a juvenile.
Edwards admitted that homicide detectives had felt the
pressure of solving the murder after the Indian government had
claimed it was racially-motivated.
"Like any homicide we will keep going until we solve
it, however there was a lot of pressure and I congratulate
Senior Sergeant Dave Snare and his team in their
investigation," Edwards said.
"We are extremely pleased for Nitin Garg's family and
the Indian community here in Australia," he said.
The teenager responded "okay" after the magistrate
outlined the schedule of dates for his case. His parents were
also present in the court and the mother was seen weeping as
the teenager was remanded to custody after a brief appearance.
Edwards said police was also questioning a number of
other people in connection with the killing but did not say if
further charges were expected. Fifteen detectives were
involved in the investigation, he said.
The 21-year-old accountancy student from Punjab was
stabbed in a local park at Footscray West in January as he
walked to work at a fast food restaurant.

Earlier on Thursday morning, the police questioned the
15-year-old after arresting him at Yarraville, a statement
from the Victorian police said.
Garg suffered stab wounds to his upper body while
walking to the Hungry Jack's restaurant where he worked, on
the corner of Geelong and Somerville roads, about 9.30 pm on
January 2 this year.
He stumbled into the restaurant, bleeding in front of
his workmates, before he died at the scene.
The weapon used in the attack has not been found.
Garg was a resident of Newport suburb and was employed
in a fast food outlet of Hungry Jack.
The breakthrough in the case came as Minister for
Oversees Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi is touring Australia and
discussed problems faced by the community with Australian
leaders.
The murder had come in the midst of a series of
attacks on Indians in Australia that led to a furore back
home.
The issue was taken up by the Indian government at the
highest level with Krishna condemning the incident and calling
for bringing those responsible to book speedily. PTI NC
MYR