Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday and expressed his concern over the "brutal killing" of Indian-origin bus driver Manmeet Alisher in Brisbane on Friday, India's External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
Mr. Modi called Prime Minister Turnbull and conveyed his Diwali greetings.
"Prime Minister Modi also conveyed a sense of concern being felt in India over the recent brutal killing of Mr. Manmeet Alisher, a person of Indian origin, in Australia. Prime Minister Turnbull expressed shock at the killing and conveyed that the matter is being investigated,tatement," said the MEA.
29-year-old Manmeet Sharma who preferred to be called Manmeet Alisher was set alight in a Brisbane bus he was driving when he had stopped to pick up passengers on Friday morning.
48-year-old Anthony Mark Edward O'Donohue appeared in a court on Saturday after he was charged with murder, arson and several counts of attempted murder.
Calling this a "random attack", Queensland police earlier said there was no indication that race was a motive in the crime.
Manmeet's brother Amit who was issued an emergency visa, arrived in Brisbane on Sunday to take his brother's body to India to perform the last rights.
A friend accompanying him told the media in Brisbane on Sunday that Manmeet's elderly parents were still unaware that he is no more.
Manmeet was a singer and actor and a prominent member of Brisbane's Punjabi community. Hundreds of people attended a memorial service for him on Saturday.
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