Panaji: The Canacona police in south Goa on Friday filed a charge sheet against Vikhat Bhagat(23) with the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Canacona, in the alleged rape and murder of 28-year-old Irish national Danielle McLaughlin in March this year.
Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai, from Canacona police station, have filed the 374-page charge sheet against Bhagat under Sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 394 (robbery) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of IPC.
The police has examined 68 witnesses, and have also shown the recovery of victim’s clothes and articles, to make out a strong case, police sources said.
According to the charge sheet, McLaughlin is originally from Buncrana, Co Donegal, Ireland. She had arrived in Canacona on March 12 and stayed at a friend’s place in Agonda.
The charge sheet states that the accused, taking advantage of friendship with the victim, took her to an isolated field, sexually abused her and hit her on the head and face with a glass bottle. He then strangled her and also stole her mboile phone.
The nude body of the victim was found with multiple injuries to the head and face, a few metres from the main road at Adpe-Devbag, close to the Agonda and Palolem beaches, in Canacona.
