Melbourne: Two men, believed to be Indian seasonal workers, were quizzed and had their passports seized at Sydney airport after they were briefly detained by detectives probing the killing of 25-year-old Ranjodh Singh, whose partially-burnt body was found recently.
Singh, a seasonal work contractor who recruited Indian immigrants to work on farms in the Riverina, had been living in Wagga Wagga area and was visiting Griffith in New South Wales at the time of his death. His partially-charred body was found on the side of Wilga Road at Willbriggie on December 29.
The two men, believed to be employed by Singh as seasonal workers, were detained at Sydney airport's departure lounge last Monday as they were about to board a flight to Nepal via Singapore, Sydney Morning Herald reported.
"In both cases, it is to early to conclude that the crimes were racially motivated. It is important to wait for details, for full facts. We would urge Indian newspapers to do that. It is not surprising that headlines call it racially motivated but it’s unfortunate. Don't proceed on the basis of speculation. I am not saying that there is no racism in Australia but the truth is that Australia is recognised globally as an understanding and welcoming country and a country that has been built on inclusion. We are certainly not racist in nature" — Australia's Acting Foreign Minister, Simon Crean to CNN-IBN
They were questioned at Mascot police station but were later released without charge after being forced to hand in their passports.
Detectives believe Singh may have been murdered in a fight over unpaid wages at a Christmas party two days before his murder.
A post-mortem examination revealed his throat had been slashed and he had suffered multiple stab wounds before being bound and set alight.
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