The family of the man accused of killing his wife and leaving her in a garbage bin has reportedly made an extraordinary offer of land in restitution.
The revelation comes as the Indian parents of the murdered women have targeted Australian authorities, who they say have made no effort to help them return their daughter’s body to her family home.
The body of Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani was found in a green waste container on Mount Pollock Road in Buckley, west of Geelong, Victoria, at noon on Saturday, March 8.
The woman’s husband, Ashok Raj Varikuppala, had already flown to India with them four-year-old son Ayra.
The next day, he allegedly dropped the boy off to Ms Madhagani’s parents at their home in the south-central Indian city of Hyderabad.
Mr Varikuppala’s parents have reportedly since visited the same property to ‘apologise’ to Ms Madhagani’s mother and father for what their son had allegedly done, offering them and Ayra four hectares of land and asking the boy to care for and take to school.
Ashok Raj Varikuppala (left) and Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani were married for 12 years before her body was found in a garbage bin
Ms Madhagani’s maternal grandfather K Gopal, who also lives with her parents, told Daily Mail Australia the visit “took place a few days ago”.
“They wanted to take care of their grandson,” the 80-year-old said.
‘They offered him four hectares of land.
‘They expressed their regret for the incident and apologized for what had happened.
“They remember Swetha as a happy daughter-in-law.”
Mr Gopal said Mr Varikuppala’s parents had already enrolled Arya in a nearby school.
He also said they did not know where Mr Varikuppala was but “they were told he is absconding.”
The house in Hyderabad where Mr Varikuppala reportedly visited Ms Madhagani’s parents to apologize for what happened and drop off their grandson
Mr Gopal said that when Mr Varikuppala visited, he “expressed remorse” for what had happened and said Ms Madhagani died as a result of a “quarrel typical of any married couple”.
Ms Madhagani’s father, Balshetty Madhagani, told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Varikuppala “apologized for what he did and left”.
“He (Mr Varikuppala) said they had a fight on a fateful day,” Mr Madhagani said.
“He brought the son here because he didn’t want him to be an orphan in Australia.”
Mr Madhagani also said he felt “very disappointed” in Australian authorities.
“No one from the Australian authorities has approached us to provide assistance,” he said.
The green waste bin containing Ms Madhagani’s body was found in a field near Geelong
‘I had to arrange everything for the repatriation of the body myself.
“I eagerly await the return of my daughter’s remains to take one last look at them.
“I also request the Australian authorities to provide me with the post-mortem report.”
It has also been reported that the parents have requested a photo of Ms Madhagani’s body.
The grieving father also said Indian police had not registered his report of the incident because it was an Australian matter.
“I hope strict action will be taken against the accused,” Madhagani said.
It was previously reported by the ABC that Mr Varikuppala told Ms Madhagani’s parents he tried to ‘mutate’ their daughter with his hands during an argument, causing her to suffocate.
Mr Varikuppala’s parents have reportedly offered to care for and attend school for their grandson Ayra (pictured)
Victoria Police said Varikuppala was a person of interest in their investigation into Ms Madhagani’s death and that he was still overseas despite his claim he would return to Australia.
Ms Madhagani and Mr Varikuppala had been married for 12 years and seemed happy according to many reports from neighbors in the Melbourne suburb of Point Cook, where the family had lived for three years.
However, close family friend Praveen Kumar Thopucherla – who has known the couple for seven years – told Daily Mail Australia that the family’s “internal issues” were well known to friends, describing their marriage as “love and arranged”.
“I believe they went deeper than it seems,” he said.
Victoria Police said due to the seriousness of the case there is much we unfortunately cannot comment on, including “any collaboration with the victim’s family.”
Daily Mail Australia has also approached the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment on Balshetty Madhagani’s claims.