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Indian's murder in Aus: 'Teenage witness' may hold key

February 24, 2010 14:22 IST

Scrambling hard to nab the killer of Indian student Nitin Garg who was stabbed to death in Melbourne, Australian police on Wednesday said a teenage boy, who was a regular customer at the restaurant where the victim worked part-time, could possibly give some vital clues about the incident.

21-year-old Garg was killed in a park at Yarraville suburb on January 2 while he was on his way to his part-time job at Hungry Jacks restaurant.

A teenage boy, who was a regular customer at the restaurant, is believed to have told another person that he saw a number of men fighting at the park on the night of the killing, Victorian Police detective, Inspector Steve Clarke, told a press conference in Melbourne.

Garg, after being stabbed, had staggered to the Hungry Jack's outlet at the corner of Somerville and Geelong roads and died a short time later.

Clarke said the teenager may hold the key to solving the case. "He mentioned that there were a number of men fighting, including possibly a Hungry Jacks staff member, and describes one of the men as being Caucasian and around 16 or 17 years of age," he said.

"We haven't spoken to that person (teenager) and we're keen for him to come forward."

Police said they have been extensively probing the case and spoken to hundreds of people and are appealing directly to the witness or anyone who knows him to call police.

"I'd urge you to ring police. We're only ever one step away from solving a murder and you may have the missing piece of the puzzle that we're after. All we know is he's a young male, a regular patron of Hungry Jack's," Clarke said.

"We haven't spoken to him (the teenager), the information has come to us third-hand but clearly we are very, very keen to speak to him."

Natasha Chaku in Melbourne
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