The man accused of murdering Gurjit Singh in his Dunedin home will have his identity kept under wraps for at least three weeks.
The 33-year-old technician made a brief appearance in the Dunedin District Court yesterday accused of killing the Pine Hill resident, who was married in India only eight months ago.
Mr Singh’s body was discovered at his home on January 29 - the day after the alleged murder - amid shards of glass, prompting an extensive police investigation.
Justice of the peace Helen Meiklejohn granted name suppression to the defendant, who appeared in the dock wearing a green gown and a beanie.
The man was remanded in custody for three weeks until his next appearance before the High Court.
Outside, he said officers had assured him his son would receive justice.
"The law and order will take the right decision and then they will make sure that the person who is responsible will be punished accordingly", Nishan Singh said.
He wanted to know why his son was killed and said "no parent should lose a son" in the way he had.
He said his son had never talked about concerns related to his safety and CCTV cameras he had bought in the weeks leading up to his death were just a precaution.
The Otago Punjabi Foundation Trust set up a Givealittle page yesterday to support Mr Singh’s family, which generated nearly $26,000, from nearly 500 donors, by 9pm.
Nishan Singh said he had sold a lot of his land in his village in Punjab to send his son to New Zealand.
The proceeds of the fundraiser would help with the cost of transporting Mr Singh’s body back to India.
Punjabi community leader Harjit Magoo said the body was taken to Christchurch yesterday afternoon, RNZ reported today.
Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis said a large team of investigators had worked on the case, and the inquiry was not yet complete.
Several vehicles, another residential property and workplaces were still part of the investigation.
The hours of work put in by members of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, both at the scene and the laboratory, were invaluable, Det Snr Sgt Croudis said.
"We wish to thank members of the public for their information and CCTV footage provided, which has helped greatly with the investigation."
Mr Singh’s father was being supported by police and the Punjabi community.
"Our thoughts remain with the family at this extremely difficult time", Det Snr Sgt Croudis said.
