She was 'hopeful' about arranged marriage

Was the Singaporean found stabbed to death in a hotel room killed by her intended husband?

That seems likely, according to Australian media reports.

Singaporean Meenatchi Narayanan, 27, was supposed to wed Indian national Senthill Kumar Arumugam, 31, reported Nine News.

It said the couple had been introduced to each other in India by their parents.

Arumugam, who arrived in Australia from South Africa, supposedly met Miss Narayanan for the first time at the hotel room on Monday. The meeting supposedly turned violent hours after, reported The Australian.

One of Miss Narayanan's friends here said that an arranged marriage was indeed on the cards, but could not confirm if it was to Arumugam.

The former classmate, who studied with Miss Narayanan at the Singapore Institute of Management, told The New Paper that Miss Narayanan had talked about an arranged marriage early last month.

The friend of four years said: "She was very hopeful about the marriage and looked forward to it. But she didn't say who the groom was, so I don't know if it was the same guy she met in the hotel."

Arumugam was charged with her murder on Wednesday, reported Brisbane Times.

The hearing to charge him was held at his bedside at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. He is accused of stabbing Miss Narayanan to death at Travelodge near Garden City shopping centre about 12.30am on Tuesday.

Police were called to the scene after guests at the Travelodge hotel in Upper Mount Gravatt heard screams coming from a third-storey room. After breaking down the door, they found Miss Narayanan's body.

The stab wounds are one of the most brutal ever seen, police sources told Courier-Mail. Police also found Arumugam seriously hurt with what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds. A knife was also found.

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Arumugam is in custody and will return for a mention hearing at the Brisbane Magistrates Court on May 5.

Courier Mail reported that Miss Narayanan's brother has arrived in Brisbane.

"Her family are quite distraught obviously and we're speaking with them at the moment to gather background as to why this incident happened," said Detective Inspector Tod Reid.

Miss Narayanan's friends were also shocked.

"It's really shocking that this happened to her. She was a lively and very positive person," said the friend.

Another who had known Miss Narayanan for about six years described her as a "funny woman who was pleasant to talk to".

They often chatted online about writing, which was their common interest, she said.

Last February, she wrote on social media: "I'm very happy. Today marks another milestone in my life. A lot has happened and is still going on. Goes to show that when going gets tough… the tough gets going. However I wldnt have made it half as far without the support from my loved ones. You know who u all are!"

Miss Narayanan, who had worked in ­finance and accounting in Singapore, was studying for a Master of Business at Brisbane's Queensland University of Technology.

Some tributes to Miss Narayanan were posted by her friends on Facebook.

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Ms Hemadharshni Elangovan, a secondary school schoolmate, wrote: "Photos texts and memories of a beautiful friend.. i remember your call to me when i was down and out.. telling me that i need to keep strong.. and i remember we chose the dress for you to wear for your party, you looked gorgeous.. and how we told you everything will fall in place soon.. whats left now is your fb posts of how wonderful of a person you were.. i miss you.. we all do.."

Mr Ramesh Kumar wrote: "RIP meena...u will be missed buddy."

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