Sonali Phogat death: Goa police team reaches Haryana for investigation
A team of Goa police landed in Haryana on Tuesday to continue investigating the mysterious death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and actor Sonali Phogat. Two days after he announced that the case may be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Sawant said that he has "full faith" in Goa's police officials. Meanwhile, Phogat's family is insisting on a CBI probe.
Why does this story matter?
While first touted as a heart attack, police last week revealed that Phogat was drugged by her associates. The death of the former Bigg Boss contestant and content creator shocked many in the entertainment and political circles. The Goa police last week registered a murder case following the postmortem and allegations by her family. She was brought dead to a hospital on August 23.
Police to continue investigation in Haryana
A Haryana police official said on Wednesday that a team of Goa police has arrived in Hisar. According to ANI, both teams will visit Phogat's farmhouse, her Hisar residence, and finally a Gurugram flat. The officials have also detained a man named Shivam, a computer operator. "We are questioning a man named Shivam, he was in UP's Meerut-Ghaziabad area," SHO Mandeep Chahal said.
What did the police say?
'I have full faith in our police'
On Tuesday evening, CM Sawant said that the Deputy SP level officers will investigate Phogat's death. "Our team has left for Haryana and they'll ensure a thorough probe...I have full faith in our police team, they will carry out a very good investigation," he added. The development comes only two days after Sawant said that he would convert the case into a CBI probe.
No word on CBI handover
CM Khattar spoke to Sawant earlier this week, after meeting Phogat's family members who requested a CBI investigation. Sawant reportedly shared a confidential report of the probe with Khattar on Tuesday. A team of two inspectors and a constable from Goa Police will be investigating the matter further with Haryana police, and may also visit Adampur (Punjab) and Chandigarh.
Not satisfied with current probe, says Phogat's daughter
What is the case?
Five accused have been arrested in the case so far, including Sudhir Sangwan (Phogat's aide) and the owner of Curlie's restaurant. Earlier, the police revealed that Phogat was administered methamphetamine or 'crystal meth' and may have died under its influence. Goa police have registered two cases in Phogat's death- a murder case and a narcotics case.
