In a heartbreaking incident in Melbourne’s south-east suburb of Ormond, a dispute tragically cut short the life of 22-year-old Navjeet Singh Sandhu. The young international student was reportedly trying to intervene in a fight outside a residence on North Road on Saturday morning when he was fatally stabbed.
Emergency responders who arrived at the scene around 1 am discovered two men with stab wounds. While Sandhu succumbed to his injuries at the location, a 30-year-old man Sharvan Kumar was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The individuals involved in the altercation were known to each other, according to police reports.
Navjeet Singh Sandhu, hailing from a modest farming family in India, had come to Australia fuelled by dreams of a brighter future.
Gurmeet Singh, a close family friend and Sandhu’s room-mate, wrote on a GoFundMe page to support the family,
“Navjeet came to Australia on a student visa with hopes of securing a better future for his family back home,”
Singh described Sandhu as the only son of his parents and a loving brother to two sisters.
The GoFundMe initiative aims to raise funds to repatriate Sandhu’s remains to India and provide financial relief to his bereaved family. So far, it has gathered over $74,000 towards a $100,000 goal, reflecting a community deeply moved by the tragedy.
The case has taken a significant turn with the arrest of two brothers, Abhijeet Abhijeet and Robin Gartan, in regional New South Wales. The suspects, aged 26 and 27, are facing extradition to Victoria over their alleged involvement in the homicide.
Victoria Police homicide detectives have travelled to Goulburn where the arrests were made, and the brothers have faced court for an extradition hearing.
This incident highlights the vulnerabilities faced by international students and the broader implications for community safety and international relations. The loss of a young life aspiring for success leaves a void in the hearts of his family and community, turning a hopeful journey into a devastating story of loss and a call for justice.
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