Cordingley murder suspect to be charged in Queensland

Marty Silk and Emily Woods | March 1, 2023

For Queenslander Toyah Cordingley’s family an arc more than 10,200km long is slowly bending towards justice with the man suspected of murdering her ordered to return to the state after a four-year international manhunt.

Hours after Rajwinder Singh touched down in Melbourne on an extradition flight from Delhi flanked by three police officers on Wednesday, a Victorian magistrate ordered him to board a flight to Queensland.

Police are preparing to charge the 38-year-old with murdering Ms Cordingley, whose body was found in sand dunes after she took her dog for a walk on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, in October 2018.

They have been hunting the Australian nurse since he boarded a flight to India soon after her remains were found.

Detective Acting Superintendent Kevin Goan says Ms Cordingley’s family has been told Mr Singh will soon return to Queensland.

“They’re clearly overwhelmed, but delighted that again, the judicial process will commence on Australian soil in the very near future,” he told reporters outside the Melbourne court.

Police believe Mr Singh hid out in Punjab state after fleeing Australia, leaving behind his wife and three children at their Innisfail home.

The then federal assistant minister to Attorney-General Amanda Stoker issued an arrest warrant to Indian authorities for an unnamed suspect in the case in May 2021.

The Queensland government offered a record $1 million reward for information leading to Mr Singh’s arrest in November 2022, with three police officers flying to India to follow up on any leads.

One month later, Mr Singh was arrested by Indian police in New Delhi before a local magistrate ordered his extradition to Australia.

“It’s fantastic, there’s no two ways about it,” Det Supt Koan said.

“There is a sense of relief that we have him in Australia, the extradition proceeding has transpired and within the coming days he will be charged before Queensland courts and that judicial process will then take a course of action.”

Magistrate Martin Grinberg ordered Mr Singh to be extradited to Queensland on Thursday after hearing police had DNA and telephone evidence linking him to the murder.

Supt Goan said police were arranging for Mr Singh to be flown to Queensland via private air charter on Thursday or Friday.

He has been remanded in custody and will appear at a court in Cairns later this week.

When asked what had motivated police during the last four years, Det Supt Koan said: “It’s always been to bring justice for the murder of Toyah”.