The Goa Police have so far arrested five persons in connection with the death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat, which has now turned into a sensational murder case after a series of shocking revelations. These five include two of the TikTok star’s associates, two drug peddlers and the alleged owner of the restaurant where she partied hours before her death.
Here are the top updates on the big story:
A Goa court on Sunday remanded three of the accused -- Edwin Nunes, who owns the Curlies restaurant in Goa, and two drug peddlers Dattaprasad Gaonkar and Ramakant Mandrekar -- to police custody for five days.
On Saturday night, the Anjuna police in North Goa arrested drug peddler Rama alias Ramadas Mandrekar for allegedly supplying drugs to another peddler Dattaprasad Gaonkar, who is already in custody in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, accused Edwin Nunes' lawyer claimed his client didn't own the Curlies restaurant in north Goa where Phogat and two of her male companions had partied hours before her death.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said his government is ready to hand over the case of death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), if required. Talking to reporters in Panaji, Sawant said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already spoken to him requesting for a detailed investigation into the case. Sawant said his Haryana counterpart told him that the Phogat family wants the CBI to take over the case.
According to the prosecution, Nunes is the owner of the Curlies restaurant where Phogat and her aides had partied on the intervening night of August 22 and 23.
Phogat was administered methamphetamine, and some left-over drug was recovered from the restaurant's washroom, Deputy Superintendent of Police Jivba Dalvi had said.
Sagwan and Sukhwinder Singh allegedly told police that they had procured drugs from Gaonkar who worked as a room boy at Hotel Grand Leoney Resort in Anjuna where they were staying. While Singh and Sagwan are charged with murder, Nunes and Gaonkar are booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Videos of CCTV footage from the restaurant had emerged on social media on Saturday. In one video, Phogat is seen dancing with Sagwan and the latter is seen forcing her to drink water which she instantly spits out.
Another video showed Phogat being escorted out of the restaurant by the accused. She is seen staggering and almost falling near the staircase on her way out.
Phogat was brought dead to St Anthony Hospital at Anjuna in North Goa district on August 23 morning from the hotel where she was staying.
While doctors said Phogat had a heart attack, her brother alleged that Sagwan and Singh, who had arrived in Goa with her, had played a role in her death. A local court on Saturday remanded Sagwan and Singh in police custody for 10 days.
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