A Victorian Supreme Court jury has found 32-year-old Ishtpal Singh guilty of murdering his close friend, Anmol Singh Bajwa, in a brutal attack at a park in Mambourin, Melbourne’s south-west.
Singh was found guilty on Tuesday, 25 August, after jurors accepted the prosecution’s case that he had carefully planned the January 2025 killing. Singh stared straight ahead as the verdict was delivered, while members of the public gallery were visibly emotional.
Bajwa, a 36-year-old father of two, was found dead near a playground on Elementary Road in Mambourin on the morning of 21 January 2025. At the time, police alleged that Singh was responsible for his death.
As per reports, during the trial, prosecutor Jim Shaw told the jury that Singh had earlier visited the park on 20 January and hidden a metal pole in nearby shrubbery.
That evening, Singh collected Bajwa and the two men bought food and alcohol before going to the park for a barbecue.
After they had spent more than four hours eating and drinking, CCTV footage captured Bajwa on a video call while Singh moved the metal pole closer to where they were sitting.
Shortly after midnight, Singh attacked Bajwa with the pole, striking him repeatedly in the head and face. Prosecutors said 17 impacts could be heard on the recording. Bajwa suffered catastrophic head injuries and died at the scene.
Singh subsequently drove towards Echuca to see his former wife before surrendering himself to police.
The prosecution argued that the killing followed a series of grievances between the two men.
Jurors heard that Singh had become involved in a dispute among mutual friends concerning a transport company and was angry that Bajwa had chosen to stay out of the dispute.
The pair had also been involved in arrangements to purchase a truck. Singh became angry after discovering he was expected to pay an additional $5,000 commission to a friend of Bajwa who had helped with the transaction.
Singh also blamed Bajwa for the cancellation of his permanent residency visa, adding another source of resentment to the relationship.
Defence barrister Tim Marsh accepted that Singh had attacked Bajwa but argued that his intention had been to cause harm rather than kill him.
The defence relied on evidence concerning Singh’s mental state, arguing that he had been suffering from paranoid psychosis and had developed delusions that people around him were conspiring to ruin his life.
The jury rejected the defence case and returned a guilty verdict for murder.
Bajwa’s family and friends had previously described him as a devoted husband and father who worked hard to build a better life for his family in Australia.
His brother, Amandeep Singh Bajwa, said after the verdict that the family regarded the killing as an ultimate betrayal by someone Bajwa considered a close friend. “He was not a tricky guy,” Amandeep told AAP.
“This was betrayal by his best friend.”
He said watching footage of his brother’s final moments had been deeply traumatic for the family and expressed hope that Singh would receive a life sentence.
Bajwa’s death had shocked Melbourne’s Punjabi community. Singh will be sentenced at a later date.
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