The brother of murdered Brisbane bus driver Manmeet Sharma – who was killed after being set alight by a passenger in a horrific attack on Friday morning – has revealed his parents still don’t know about their son’s death.
Amit Alisher spoke to Fairfax Media on his way from India, their home country, to the Aussie capital city, crying as he explained he didn’t think the elderly couple could cope with the news.
“They are too old – my father is 70 – they won’t be able to take it,” he said.
His parents have instead been told their second son is alive, but seriously injured after being involved in a road accident.
“I have told them he is in hospital after getting hurt in a road accident and that’s why I am going to see him in Brisbane. My aunts, uncles and cousins are being very careful… they are not visiting at the same time to avoid alarming them.”
Amit plans on breaking the tragic news “gradually”, because he’s “scared my father will have a heart attack”.
“First I’m going to say his condition has worsened and then… then I will have to tell them that Manmeet has gone.”
The alleged murderer of 29-year-old Manmeet – who was a popular figure in Brisbane’s Punjabi community and well-known as a musician – yesterday appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody on 13 charges.
The lawyer for Anthony O’Donohue, 48, said his client had given no explanation for the “heinous” attack at a Moorooka bus stop.
Manmeet was due to fly home to his family’s village in Sangrur in Punjab, north India, on December 15.
Source: Brisbane Times.
Photo: Facebook.
