Parramatta Park murder of Prabha Arun Kumar was ‘not random’

INVESTIGATORS looking into the unsolved murder of Parramatta Park mother Prabha Arun Kumar mother, say the fatal stabbing was not a random attack.

People laid flowers at the site of the murder in Parramatta Park in March last year.

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MURDERED mother Prabha Arun Kumar was not killed in a random attack as she walked through Parramatta Park, police say.

Yet, more than 18 months after Mrs Kumar was stabbed to death on the pathway between Argyle St and Amos St while on the phone to her husband in India, her killer remains on the loose.

Police have spoken to more than 2000 people, released CCTV footage featuring a grainy image of an unidentified figure, and canvassed residents around the park to check if they saw or heard anything on the night Mrs Kumar, 41, was murdered on Saturday, March 7.

Homicide squad Detective Sergeant Ritchie Sim said the investigation would continue for “as long as it takes”.

Relatives, friends, colleagues and public paying homage to the body of Prabha Arun Kumar in India.

“We are still in the process of reviewing a large amount of materials including extensive phone records and financial records in an attempt to piece together Prabha’s life leading up to her tragic death,” he said.

Mrs Kumar came to Australia in February 2014 to work in the IT industry. Daughter Meghana, then aged 9, and husband Arun Kumar were both living in India when she was killed.

Det Sgt Sim said police considered all possible motives during a murder investigation.

“The investigation will continue to remain active until it is solved and at the appropriate time and on advice from the coroner the matter will go to the inquest.

“We will continue to keep open minds in relation to what occurred on the night and we are not excluding any possibilities.”

CCTV footage shows a person walking through Parramatta Golf Course on the night of the murder.

Police have been in contact with authorities in India as part of the investigation.

“As Prabha was an Indian national, we will continue to work closely with our counterparts in India, which includes close contact with her family who reside both in India and Australia.”

Det Sgt Sim said Mrs Kumar’s family in India were “understandably very keen for answers”.

“They too are hoping that someone who may know something will come forward.”

Det Sgt Sim said there was “no evidence to support this was a random attack” or any links to other murders.

“And the situation remains the same that there is no evidence to support a motive of sexual assault or robbery,” he said.

Prabha’s husband Arun Kumar leans down to kiss a plaque unveiled in her memory at Parramatta Park in November.

Det Sgt Sim again called on the public to come forward if they had any “information whatsoever”.

“It doesn’t matter how irrelevant they might think the investigation is, we do encourage them to contact us and they can do it anonymously.”

Det Sgt Sim also urged people to have another look at the CCTV footage of a person who can be seen walking through nearby Parramatta Golf Course on the night of the murder.

“We understand it’s not great quality, however we are hoping it might take them back to the night of the March 7 and help jog their memories” he said.

The Indian and Parramatta community had been helpful throughout the whole investigation, Det Sgt Sim said.

He said the Parramatta Local Area command had also been working with the homicide squad during their investigations.

CCTV shows Prabha leaving Parramatta train station moments before she was killed on March 7, 2015.

Since Mrs Kumar’s murder, the Parramatta Park pathway to Westmead has received a security upgrade including extra lighting, CCTV and the removal of bushes and plants around the path.

A plaque was also unveiled in Mrs Kumar’s memory last year and the path renamed Prabha’s walk.

Her husband Arun attended a memorial service with family members from India in November last year and described his late wife as a “very caring wife”.

“I miss my wife a lot … she wanted us to be happy all the time,” he said.

“She came here (to Australia) for us, me and Meghana.”

Prabha Arun Kumar with her husband Arun Kumar and their nine-year-old daughter Meghana.

TIMELINE

March 7, 2015: Prabha Arun Kumar, 41, fatally stabbed on her way home in Westmead after getting off a train at Parramatta station

March 8, 2015: New South Wales Police form a special investigation squad, Strike Force Marcoala, led by Detective Sergeant Ritchie Sim

July 31, 2015: Police release highly grainy CCTV footage of an unidentified person walking through Parramatta Golf Course, towards Jubilee Lane, on the night of the murder

November 22, 2015: The family of Prabha travel from India to unveil a plaque in her honour during an emotional memorial at Parramatta Park

October 2016: Police confirm Prabha was not killed in a random attack