Friends and neighbours have paid tribute to a young mother-of-one whose body was found stuffed in a wheelie bin under trees in a paddock.
Police made the grim discovery inside a green waste bin off Mount Pollock Rd in Buckley, west of Geelong around noon on Saturday.
The woman’s body is believed to be that of Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani, who had a young son with husband Ashok Raj Varikuppala.
A second crime scene has also been declared at a home in Point Cook in south-west Melbourne, 86km from where her body was found.
A neighbour and good friend of Ms Madhagani expressed shock at the news.
The body found dumped in a wheelie bin in Buckley near Geelong is believed to be Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani
Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani (pictured with her husband and son) was full of life, according to friends
Police made the grim discovery inside a green waste bin off Mount Pollock Rd in Buckley, west of Geelong on Saturday.
‘She was one of the sweetest girls ever,’ the neighbour told the Herald Sun.
‘Everyone would want to have Swetha in their lives.’
‘She was full of life — I can’t believe she’s gone.
‘A life is lost it’s worse she was found somewhere else we all deserve dignity.’
Another neighbour said he was in ‘disbelief’ at the news and that his son had attended a birthday party for the couple’s son.
‘They are a very good, nice family,’ he said of the couple.
‘I’ve never seen them argue.’
Sources with knowledge of the investigation told the publication that Mr Varikuppala flew back to India in recent days with the couple’s son.
He reportedly rang family members in Victoria to tell them about Ms Madhagani’s death.
The Herald Sun also reported that Mr Varikuppala has stated he is willing to cooperate with authorities.
It is not suggested that Mr Varikuppala was in any way involved in the death of his wife.
Her husband Ashok Raj Varikuppala (pictured left) has reportedly flown to India in recent days but is in contact with authorities
Eric Lewis, who owns land near the Mt Pollock Rd scene where her body was was ‘flabbergasted’ by the horrific discovery.
He said he made his way to the scene after hearing something on the ‘bush telegraph’ but that police would not tell him anything.
‘What is happening here in Buckley, I just can’t believe it,’ he said.
Mr Lewis told Nine News: ‘Missed being on my land by a couple of metres.’
‘I’ve never seen a wheelie bin lying there and I go up and down there quite often.’
Another local recalled walking in the area on Friday, and noticed a pungent smell, which he presumed was a dead sheep.
A third long-time resident said the find was ‘disturbing’ and would rock the close knit local community.
Photos from the Mount Pollock Rd scene where the woman’s body was found show a heavy police presence, including a helicopter, homicide detectives and members of Victorian Police’s VIPER Taskforce.
The VIPER Taskforce is a statewide capability that provides a tactical and investigative response to serious and organised crime.
Investigators are yet to determine the precise circumstances of the Swetha’s remains.
Mount Pollock Rd is a gravel stretch with farmland on either side.
No arrests have yet been made.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A neighbour and friend of Ms Madhagani said she was the ‘sweetest girl’ and ‘the perfect mother’
The grisly find was made on Mt Pollock Rd (pictured) at Buckley, near Geelong south-west of Melbourne around midday on Saturday
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