Vikat Bhagat, from Canacona in south Goa, was arrested by local police on Tuesday evening as prime suspect in the murder of 25-year-old Irish woman Danielle McLaughlin whose nude body was found at an isolated open place in South Goa. Bhagat was remanded to seven days in police custody by local court on Wednesday.
Police Inspector Filomeno Costa told The Hindu that though they suspected sexual assault in the case, they have yet not pressed rape charges as postmortem report is awaited. The remand for the accused is till March 21.
Danielle McLaughlin was found brutally murdered in a field, around 150 metres from the main road at Devbag in Canacona on Tuesday morning. Superintendent of Police, Crime, Umesh Gaonkar told The Hindu that the local police have rounded up several persons and finally zeroed in on a local petty thief and an ex-convict Bhagat.
A case of murder has been registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The body had several bruises and the face had cuts inflicted probably using a blunt object, said police. According to local police investigating the case the victim had come to Canacona on Monday from Arambol in north Goa along with another friend, who is a UK national.
"We are investigating people with whom she was playing Holi with during a party here. Her friend has also given us some leads and we are questioning some suspects," a police officer associated with the probe said on condition of anonymity.
