“He would tell me not to worry about him…and that he is doing fine.” Ramadeep Singh’s mother is inconsolable as she tries to make sense of the tragedy.
The 25-year-old who arrived in New Zealand in 2018 was found dead at a car park in western Auckland on December 18, and the police have arrested a 26-year-old man on charges of murder. Investigators have yet to reveal any more details.
Back in his hometown of Kotli Shahpur in the northern Indian state of Punjab, his mother recalled her last conversation with her only son.
“I used to talk to him every day. He used to tell me don’t worry about me, I am fine. It was only on Saturday that I didn’t speak to him,” she told journalists.
A security patrolman working with Armourguard, Ramandeep came to New Zealand about five-and-a-half years ago.
Her mother said she got to know of his death through his friends on Sunday night. “He was such a good boy...a good son...why would somebody do this to him. He had no enemies. I want justice for him and want the culprits to get punished.”
Armourguard's general manager Shane O’Halloran earlier expressed profound sorrow as he confirmed that the victim was a valued staff member employed through a contractor.
Singh's identity was officially listed as the victim in court documents filed in the Waitakere District Court. He was reported unresponsive just after midnight on Monday and pronounced dead after being discovered in the car park at Royal Reserve in Massey.
The police have yet to formally name Ramandeep as the victim. “A formal identification process is yet to be completed. Police will look to release the name when appropriate,” a spokesperson said.
Police haven’t ruled out the possibility of further arrests or charges. Detective Inspector Aaron Proctor provided an update, stating that scene guards remain in place on Beauchamp Dr and the area is still closed to the public.