Big-built Man Was Following Me, Prabha Told Her Husband

BENGALURU: Prabha Arun Kumar was a resident of Basaveshwara Nagar. She had been sent to Sydney on a project for one year, which was later extended for two more years.

Her husband Arun, who runs an IT company, was talking to her on the phone when the attack took place. Arun left for Sydney on Saturday night to bring his wife’s body back. He had visited Prabha a few times in the last three years and so had a valid visa.

The Incident: On the day of the incident, she had to work overtime and was returning home around 8.30 pm.

She called her husband as was her daily routine. When she was nearing her house, she told her husband that a big-built man was standing near a park close to her house, and was following her.

Seconds later, Arun heard Prabha telling the man, “Take whatever you want, please don’t hurt me.” But the next thing he heard was, “He stabbed me.” The phone went dead, and repeated calls to her number went unanswered.

No Answer: According to Thrijesh Jayachandra, a civil contractor and Arun’s nephew, Arun immediately tried calling Prabha’s friend, who was also her roommate. There was no reply and it took her about 30 minutes to call back. By the time she reached the spot, the police and ambulance had arrived. Prabha was critical, but alive and was shifted to a hospital. Prabha’s brother and family live in Perth, a six-hour journey from Sydney.

According to Thrijesh, who stays in Bengaluru, on Saturday evening they were told that Prabha was recovering. However, as Arun was on his way to the airport, they heard the news that she had died. “We didn’t want to tell Arun as he had a long journey ahead of him. We thought it would be best for Prabha’s brother to tell him personally,” Thrijesh said.

Planning a Visit: S C Jayachandra, Arun’s sister’s husband, said he and Meghana were planning to visit Sydney in April.

“Prabha’s project had ended and she was scheduled to return in May. Before she came back, she asked Arun to visit Australia with their daughter one last time. They were planning to go in April once Meghana’s exam got over,” said Jayachandra, also chief project officer, PWD, state highway.

Poor Govt Response: According to Thrijesh, despite numerous messages to the External Affairs Ministry, there was no response. “We were lucky that Arun had a valid visa. If not, the process may have been delayed. There was a toll free number of the Australian embassy in India, but nobody answered this number either,” he said. 

“The Australian country head of MindTree has been keeping us updated. But he has his limitations too as the Australian police has rules that do not allow them to share details except with close family,” he said.

Prabha’s post-mortem will be conducted at 11 am on Monday.

“We do not know if this was an actual mugging attempt or a racial attack, considering that Australia is infamous for attacks against Indians. Once we get a clear picture, we will file a complaint with the MEA,” Thrijesh said.

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