Indian student killed in Melbourne after online date

Melbourne, July 26

A 25-year-old Indian student in Australia has been killed after meeting a teenage girl he had met through a dating site.

Maulin Rathod, an accounting student, died on Tuesday night at a local hospital, after he was found critically injured at the girl’s house on Monday night.

Rathod had visited a 19-year-old girl’s house in Sunbury suburb in west Melbourne about 9 pm (local time) on Monday.

According to media reports, emergency services were called to the scene and Rathod was found with life-threatening injuries.

The teenager, who lived alone, has been arrested and charged with intentionally causing serious injury.

The reports said her charges would be reviewed following his death and upgraded to manslaughter or murder.

The girl faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday night and was remanded in custody to appear again.

According to Rathod’s friend Lovepreet Singh, he was an only child and had moved to Australia four years ago for studying.

“His parents are in shock,” he said.

“He was a very nice person, had a jolly nature and was a cricket lover. I loved to hang around him. He had a very humble personality and tried really hard with his studies,” he said. PTI