Mum says dead toddler son Gurshan loved Melbourne

Melbourne, Mar.12 : The grief-stricken mother of dead three-year-old toddler Gurshan Singh Channa has said that he loved staying in Melbourne and did not want to go back to India.

Harpreet Kaur Channa said her son was a happy boy who was developing quickly and loved Melbourne, even though he was scheduled to leave Australia for India with his parents the weekend after he disappeared.

"Gurshan loved Melbourne. Whenever I asked him about India, he would say ''I want to stay here.'' He got along so well with everyone at home [in Melbourne]," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Harpreet, as saying.

A council worker in grass in Melbourne's north found Gurshan's body on the evening of Thursday, March 4, six hours after he was reported missing.

Speaking on SBS Radio''s Punjabi program yesterday, Harpreet Kaur said she was horrified by her boy''s death.

"May God punish the person who perpetrated such a heinous crime."

She said she wanted Australians to pray for her to have another baby.

Mrs Channa said she remained numbed by the tragedy.