The Victorian mother whose body was found in a wheelie bin has been remembered as a “lovely person and a caring mother” who was heavily involved in Geelong’s Indian community.
Tributes have started to flow for Chaithanya “Swetha” Madhagani, who was found dead on Mount Pollock Road in Buckley, west of Geelong, on Saturday, with the community planning a candlelit vigil for later this week.
Praveen Kumar Thopucherla, the executive chairperson of the Melbourne Telangana Forum that runs cultural events to celebrate the state in southern India, said her death was “an alarm” for the close-knit community.
“It is very shocking, the community is traumatised,” he said.
“She was very active and used to participate in our community events … she was very energetic.
“Losing her is like losing my own family member because it is a very small community.”
It is understood her husband, Ashok Raj Varikuppala, travelled to India and left their son Arya, 3, with Swetha’s parents.
Victorian police have not said if he was a suspect.
Raja Ramesh Reddy, whose child went to Ready Steady Go with Arya, said the community was “shocked” by Madhagani’s death.
“She was a really nice [woman] and very active in the community. She was a lovely person and a caring mother,” he said.
“The community is really disturbed by the news, a lot of people know her. It’s very hard for us to digest, that this type of activity has happened in a close-knit community when we see them regularly.”
He said he had just spoken to her two weeks ago and also knew her husband.
“It’s just shocking for all of us,” he said. “She is in our thoughts.”
A spokesperson for Victoria police said there were “no further updates” at this stage. The Attorney General’s Department, which oversees extradition orders, said they could also not comment.
“As a matter of longstanding practice the Australian government does not disclose whether it has made, or intends to make, an extradition request to a foreign country until the person is arrested or brought before a court pursuant to that request,” a departmental spokesperson said.
