A Melbourne high school maths teacher who went missing after flying back to India to sell investment properties was murdered by his brother and dumped in a canal, Indian police allege.
Sunil Sharma, 66, who worked at Diamond Valley College, travelled to Amritsar in the state of Punjab last month to help prepare a home for sale, but was reported missing in May 22 after his friends were unable to find him.
Amritsar Rural Police announced in a press conference on Saturday local time they had arrested his brother Satish Sharma, Satish’s wife Anushka and their son Sunish along with real estate agent Lakshman Singh.
Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal alleged Satish and Sunish gave Sunil a drink spiked with sleeping pills and then beat him to death with a baseball bat before all three accused dumped the body in a canal in Harike.
Sunish and Anushka are also accused of helping Satish dispose of a blood-stained mattress and the alleged murder weapon, and police allege Satish confessed to murdering his brother.
Police also alleged Sunil’s brother and his family conspired with Singh in order to steal property worth up to $900,000, and allegedly forged power of attorney documents so they could sell assets belonging to the victim and his sister, according to Indian media reports.
Two other suspects remain at large.
Sunil’s daughter Surbhi Sharma told ABC News she had been told a major search was underway for her father’s body, and described him as “intelligent, strong and funny”, and “loving and sensitive” with a “good heart”.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is understood to be aware of the death and the arrests, and the Victorian Department of Education issued a statement expressing its condolences.
Header image: Left, Sunil Sharma. Right, Satish Sharma (far right in red face covering) with his wife and son (left and second left) during their arrest (supplied).
