Australia Australia - Prabha Kumar, 41, Parramatta, NSW, 7 March 2015

A woman in her early 40s has died after being attacked in a public walkway in Parramatta Park, near Westmead

March 08, 2015

PRABHA Arun Kumar, the woman stabbed to death just 300m from her Westmead home was on the phone to a member of her family when the ‘horrific’ attack happened.

Harrowingly, Ms Kumar told the relative “I think I’ve been stabbed” in the lane way that runs through the park close to her Westmead home.

The married mother of one was found stabbed in Parramatta Park last night in what police are describing as a “horrific attack”. She was found by a man lying in a large pool of blood just after 9.30pm last night.

Supt Cox said police are particularly interested in talking to people who were around Argyle St and Park Parade last night

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...rk-near-westmead/story-fni0cx12-1227253411008

Photo of Prabha from above link...



http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...rk-near-westmead/story-fni0cx12-1227253411008

NSW Police report...

Police are investigating after a woman was fatally injured in Westmead overnight.

About 9.30pm (Saturday 7 March 2015), emergency services were called to a public walkway near Amos Street, following reports that a woman had been attacked.

Police from Parramatta Local Area Command located a woman – believed to be aged in her early 40s – suffering a serious wound.


She was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to Westmead Hospital, where she later died.

The woman is yet to be formally identified.

A crime scene has been established and is being examined by specialist forensic officers.

State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad is assisting Parramatta detectives.

Investigations into the incident are continuing and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

https://www.facebook.com/nswpoliceforce

Update to Westmead attack

- Strike Force Marcoala has been formed to investigate the woman's death. A port mortem examination is being conducted today to determine cause of death and confirm identity.

Anyone with information about the attack should contact Parramatta police or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000

https://www.facebook.com/nswpoliceforce

This is the second death involving Asian (Indian/Sri Lankan) women in Westmead.

The first being Amesha Rajapakse last August.

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2014/08/31/sec03.asp

Amesha's case was not a clear homicide or a clear suicide and has not been reported as one or the other, and while I got tired of arguing against suicide theories, I have not changed my mind about her death being very suspicious, IMO.

Also from Westmead, November last year:

Women are urged to take extra care walking alone in Westmead after a string of attacks.

Police issued the warning after three attacks on women in the past week.

Officers believe the attacks were committed by one man between November 5 and November 11 in and around the Alexandra Ave area.

Detectives have set up Strike Force Emeus to investigate the attacks.

They are searching for a man they believe can help them with their inquiries.

He is described as being of Indian Sub-Continental appearance, 175-180cm tall with a thin, athletic build and short black hair.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...ndecent-assaults/story-fngr8huy-1227122177294

afaik, this remains unsolved

ETA: CRIPES, from March 2012, more attacks in Westmead, by Indian looking guy:

http://indianherald.com.au/australian-news/police-appeal-indecent-assaults-in-westmead/1196/

"She was walking while talking to Arun (her husband) on the phone when she said that a suspicious-looking man was following her," Mrs Kumar's brother-in-law, Thrijesh Jayachandra, told Indian publication The Hindu.

"The next moment, he heard her scream for help and then plead with the man not to harm (her) and take all her belongings if he wanted. Seconds later, he heard her scream and say she was stabbed."

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-...o-westmead-stabbing.html#sthash.ZKmwSXac.dpuf

Gods, her poor hubby.

How devastating for her husband, to hear her being attacked and die. My heart goes out to him. I hope he has some love and support. :rose:

'He stabbed me, darling': Sydney victim Prabha Arun Kumar's last words to her husband
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...st-words-to-her-husband/article1-1324249.aspx

Prabha Arun Kumar’s husband heard her murder over the phone
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r-over-the-phone/story-fni0cx12-1227254133596

"POLICE have released CCTV footage of Prabha Kumar walking from the train station moments before she was murdered in Parramatta Park on Saturday night.

Detectives are hoping the chilling vision will jog the memory of a witness who may have seen Mrs Kumar as she walked home after work.

“We’re releasing (the CCTV tapes) in an effort to jog people’s memories - someone who may have seen Prabha, somebody who may know Prahba - coming forward and providing us with the information that we need to work out why this has happened to her and who is responsible for it,” Homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Michael Willing said."

This is so weird, why on earth would someone just walk up to her and stab her?

Image: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r-over-the-phone/story-fni0cx12-1227254133596

Final moments revealed of murdered Sydney mother Prabha Arun Kumar
http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...tack-was-mother-and-it-consultant-prabha-arun

I hate when things like this happen especially close to home. The walkway between argyle st and Amos is a footpath going uphill. On the left is parramatta high school and on the right is a golf course.
I also immediately thought of Amesha.

Her poor, poor husband

I too thought of Amesha.

I can't quite comprehend the motive behind this stabbing. Her bag was found next to her, so far police has not mentioned she was indecently assaulted, mentally ill people don't just follow you until you are in a dark, lonely stretch to attack you, they will attack you anywhere. And if it was a junkie he would have attacked her to take her money.

So what's the intention behind this vicious crime?

Parramatta stabbing: why Prabha Arun Kumar's husband was not told of her death

March 10, 2015

Arun Kumar travelled nearly 10,000 kilometres from India to Sydney, hoping his wife might have survived the stabbing attack he overhead on his mobile phone.

In fact, Prabha Arun Kumar had died before her husband even reached Bangalore airport. The call came through to his family, who decided the widower should not travel alone bearing such news.

"She told him there was a huge person following her, a huge person around her," Mr Jayachandra said.

No one in the Bangalore family except Mr Kumar, 42, had a visa; he left home knowing only that his wife had been critically injured.

Police do not believe the attack was racially motivated or that Mrs Kumar knew her killer.

Yadu Singh, president of the Indian Australian Association of NSW, said neither the Sydney Indian community nor the Indian media were treating the death as a race-related crime.

But he said the community felt "sadness, shock, frustration, agitation and even a bit of resentment" at a lack of security in Western Sydney.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/parramatt...as-not-told-of-her-death-20150310-1405sj.html

Keshi said:

I can't quite comprehend the motive behind this stabbing. Her bag was found next to her, so far police has not mentioned she was indecently assaulted, mentally ill people don't just follow you until you are in a dark, lonely stretch to attack you, they will attack you anywhere. And if it was a junkie he would have attacked her to take her money.

So what's the intention behind this vicious crime?

Click to expand...

Yes, they do. Or rather, they can do. Mental illness does not mean "completely out of control", in every case.

But there's also people who just enjoy killing other people. That is their motive.

What also cannot be discounted is racial hatred.

enzeder said:

Image: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r-over-the-phone/story-fni0cx12-1227254133596

Click to expand...

Oh, this is tragic. She looks so happy just to be chatting with her husband.

*** Statements on behalf of the family of Prabha Arun Kumar ***
The following two statements are on behalf of the family of Prabha Arun Kumar, who was killed at Westmead on the weekend. Police continue to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.
****************************************************************************
MR ARUN KUMAR (Prabha’s husband)
I am a husband who has lost his wife and the father of a young girl who has lost her beloved mother.
I cannot describe to you the pain I presently feel. My wife was the most caring and beautiful soul.
Prabha was planning to buy a little penguin toy and send it to our daughter in India, but now she will never be able to do that.
I know that we can’t bring her back, but I want whoever killed my gorgeous wife to be brought to justice.
If you have any information that can help police, please contact Crime Stoppers.
MR SHANKAR SHETTY (Prabha’s brother)
I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I have lost my much-loved sister.
The pain I have felt since my sister’s death has been unimaginable.
No one deserves to have any of their family taken away from them in these horrible circumstances.
My sister was a loving wife, mother, daughter and sibling. She was loved by many.
We don’t want any other family to go through the pain we are going through. Tragically, Prabha will never see her daughter grow up.
I appeal to anyone who has any information to contact police.
Please help detectives catch whoever killed my sister.
And finally I say this to the person who did this; you have taken my sister’s life, please step forward, get help, and get your life back.
Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
https://www.facebook.com/nswpoliceforce?fref=nf

A 'huge' man following her??? What could this mean? Firstly, she must have looked behind her at some stage. In response to a noise? Having passed someone in the street who was eyeing her? And what's with 'huge'?? What do people make of this? Huge, as in physique?
The motive thing bugs me too. Not robbery (although I believe I heard or read somewhere that her phone is missing), not sexual assault. That's been confirmed now.
As someone said above, who just walks up to someone and stabs them to death?!
It just doesn't sound like any other case that's related to sexual assault, if there have been such cases in the area. I did think of Amesha too, but I think there are more dissimilarities than similarities.
With no immediate apparent motive, I wouldn't be surprised if there is more to this. And not at all suggesting the husband is involved. I thought I heard on ABC TV News tonight that police were looking to the local Indian community for information?? Did anyone else hear that?
Was also reported that police had spoken to witnesses but would not reveal what information they had gathered.
Excerpt from linked article:
Police have interviewed numerous witnesses but Detective Superintendent Willing wouldn’t divulge what investigators had discovered.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...-to-step-forward/story-fni0cx12-1227259495324