Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Feb 21: The murder of IT consultant Prabha Arun Kumar in Sydney, Australia last year continues to baffle the Australian police, who are now looking into the possibility of the involvement of someone from India in her death.

The 41-year-old IT consultant from Amtoor here was stabbed to death while walking through Parramatta Park on March 7 last year.

She was talking on her mobile phone to her husband in Bengaluru at the time of her death.

Despite a complex investigation over the last 12 months that included questioning of around 2,000 people and gathering of almost 250 statements, the killer still remains at large, and now the detectives are looking into possibility of someone known to Prabha, and living in India, being involved in her death.

The CCTV images of Prabha''s final moments show her walking out of the western Sydney station while talking to on the phone to her husband Arun. As she neared her home, an unidentified person stabbed her in the throat.

"We have considered the possibility that an offender had [helped commit or been involved with] this crime outside of Australia," Detective Sergeant Ritchie Sim told Fairfax Media.

"There is no information that we are know of that indicates she knew who the attacker was," Sergeant Sim said.

"We are considering the possibility that the offender is still in Australia as well as the possibility the offender has left Australia," he added.

The police have not found the murder weapon either.

Last November, Prabha''s family, including her parents, husband and daughter, travelled to Sydney for a service in Prabha''s honour, during which a memorial plaque in Parramatta Park was unveiled. During their stay in Australia, her family members were extensively questioned, which helped the police to piece together aspects of her life.

The CCTV captured an unidentified figure walking through the Parramatta Golf Course on the night of March 7, but the image is unclear.

Detectives have ruled out sexual assault and robbery as motives behind the murder.

"Because Prabha was an Indian National, the geographical distance between our two countries is an obstacle," Sergeant Sim said, adding, "We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in India to achieve the common goal of finding the person or people responsible for this crime."