UK: Indian denied bail in compatriot's murder

An Indian national, who was charged for the murder of compatriot Jyotirmayee Vempala -- a native of Andhra Pradesh -- was refused bail by the judge at a British court on Friday morning.

Nagaraja Kumar Nalluri, who was charged on Thursday, was dressed in a white cotton shirt with bandages on his neck and arm and denied any responsibility for the student's murder at the Birmingham Magistrate's Court.

He was remanded in custody, to appear at the Birmingham Crown Court next Friday.

While identifying himself, he gave his address as 6, Montague Road, the same as the victim's, which makes it clear that the two resided at the same place.

The judge denied him bail on the grounds that the charge was of a serious crime, that is murder. He said the defendant was an Indian national and does not have a 'fixed abode' in Britain and so there could be no guarantee that he would abide by the bail conditions.

The judge also said the bail was denied for the protection of the defendant. It was believed that there was a certain amount of unrest within the Indian community in Birmingham, regarding the incident.

Nalluri was arrested in connection with the brutal murder of fellow student Jyotirmayee, who was pursuing a post-graduate course in health sciences in the University of Wolverhampton. She joined the course in September 2007.

Jyotirmayee, 23, was found dead on Tuesday night in a private house she was staying in with three other students from her native state. A post-mortem examination established that she died as a result of head injuries.

Nalluri, also an Indian student, had injuries and was discharged on Thursday from a hospital.

Jyotirmayee's neighbours told the media that it seemed like it was a fight between two persons and while four people lived in the house, only two persons were seen there at the time of the incident.

The university was holding a condolence meeting in memory of Jyotirmayee on Friday.