Thousands of dollars have been raised in support of the victim of a tragic drowning incident on Hobart’s Waterfront on Monday.
Deepinderjeet Singh lost his life after he was allegedly pushed into the River Derwent from Princess Wharf 1 during what police believe was an attempted theft of a handbag belonging to the woman he was with.
Four people were arrested in connection with the 27-year-old’s death on Tuesday, including three teenagers.
On Wednesday afternoon, police confirmed that a 17-year-old boy from Goodwood had been charged with manslaughter and aggravated robbery in relation to Singh’s death.
Three others, including a 17-year-old and 19-year-old from Berriedale and a 25-year-old woman from Lenah Valley, were charged with aggravated robbery.
All four will be detained in custody overnight and will appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for Singh’s family, with friends hoping to support them in covering the costs associated with repatriating his body to India.
Just six hours after it was created on Wednesday morning, more than 400 donors had already contributed a total of $24,639, well above their initial target of $20,000.
“In this time of tragic loss … we are raising money to send his body back to his family in India as soon as possible,” friend Sunpreet Seehra wrote.
On Tuesday, Tasmania Police Detective Inspector David Gill said the incident was being treated as a “very serious criminal investigation”.
“This is a disgraceful, cowardly act which has resulted in a terrible tragedy, a tragedy that will haunt the young female for the rest of her life along with the family and friends of the deceased male,” Gill said.
