Husband of burnt Auckland Indian woman was son of Hindu priest

AUCKLAND - The husband of an Auckland-based Indian woman, who was burnt to death, is the son of a Hindu high priest and was nearly deported from New Zealand for overstaying.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Diwesh Kumar Sharma, 29, a courier driver, is the son of a priest who used to work at the Auckland Satsang Ramayan Mandli, a Hindu religious organisation.

He is being held by police in Fiji for his alleged role in the murder of his wife Ranjeeta Sharma, 28, who was burned alive near Huntly last week.

An immigration adviser said: “Diwesh has been asked many times by the father to also become a priest, but he has decided to choose a different path.”

Sharma came to New Zealand in 1998 and faced deportation for overstaying, but later qualified for residency as a dependent child of the father following an appeal.

His father is believed to be still working as a Hindu priest in Sydney. (ANI)