A 33-year-old man who police say was involved in the murder of Gurjit Singh in Dunedin was arrested today, January 5.
Investigators did not disclose any more information about the accused, whose identity has not been disclosed, or the arrest operation that happened Monday morning.
“The man will appear in Dunedin District Court later today, charged with Mr Singh’s murderm” Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis said.
But the investigation into the gruesome killing of the 27-year-old from Ludhiana is far from over, say police, as “several vehicles, another residential property and workplaces are still part of the ongoing investigation.”
A friend found Gurjit’s body in a pool of blood and shards of glass outside the Kiwi-Indian’s house in the suburb of Pine Hill on January 29, with injuries police say were most likely caused by a sharp object.
“A large team of investigators have worked extensively on this case, but there is still work to do. We wish to thank members of the public for their information and CCTV footage provided, which has helped greatly with the investigation,” Croudis said.
Gurjit’s father arrived in Dunedin from India over the weekend, and police say their team and the Punjabi community in the South Island city are providing him with the support he needs.
A friend reportedly told police last week Gurjit had been worried for his safety the last few days after a break-in attempt at his house.
Gurjit had been excitedly sharing plans to holiday with his new wife the night police believe he was murdered.
The man from Ludhiana in northern India arrived in New Zealand in 2015 on a student visa, and struggled his way up to finally take up work as a fibre telecommunications technician with Chorus.