Man accused of murdering young Auckland mum Arishma Singh named

A 41-year-old man accused of murdering a young Auckland mother can now be named.

Rohit Deepak Singh appeared in the High Court at Auckland this morning and pleaded not guilty to murdering 24-year-old Arishma Singh (Chand) last month.

The Flat Bush man, who is listed as a cabinet maker in court documents, was remanded in custody by Justice Simon Moore until March.

He pleaded not guilty and a trial date was set for October next year.

Arishma Singh was found dead in her South Auckland home by her parents Rakesh and Aradhana Singh, when they returned home after visiting relatives.

Police launched a homicide investigation soon after.

Shortly after her death the Herald revealed that Arishma Singh had been at a friend's birthday party and was killed soon after arriving back to her Maich Rd home, which she shared with her 3-year-old daughter and parents.

Her daughter was not at the house when she was killed and was with her father, Arishma Singh's ex-husband.

Police later revealed that Arishma Singh attended the party with her boyfriend, who accompanied her to the Maich Rd home but left soon after.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry and they do not believe the killing was random.

Detective Inspector Gary Lendrum earlier told media that he had a "gut feeling" that Arishma Singh knew her killer. Arishma Singh was born and educated in Fiji but had lived for some years in New Zealand, where she worked as a child educator.

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