Sonali Phogat death: Aide Sudhir Sangwan was running extortion racket
Investigation into the mysterious death of Sonali Phogat, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and actor, has revealed that her aide, Sudhir Sangwan, purportedly ran an extortion racket in her name. Sangwan, who admitted to drugging Phogat, ran a fake firm and earned money from loans. As Goa police continue its investigation in Gurugram on Sunday, here are the latest developments in the case.
Why does this story matter?
The death of the former Bigg Boss contestant shocked many in the entertainment and political circles. While first touted as a heart attack, further investigation revealed that she was drugged by her associates at a restaurant in Goa. The Goa police registered a murder case following the postmortem and allegations by her family. She was brought dead to a hospital on August 23.
Sangwan ran fake firm, gave out loans
Phogat's aide Sangwan, who has also been arrested, allegedly cheated many in her name as part of an illegal extortion network. He reportedly cheated people through his company Creative Agritech, a firm that offered agricultural loans. According to India Today, Sangwan took bank loans at cheap rates, and when asked for returns, he would threaten them with police action.
Sangwan reportedly gave out wrong locker passwords
The police learned that Sangwan had access to Phogat's lockers, but he gave out the wrong passwords. As per reports, he gave two passwords to the Goa police on video call-one with three digits and the other with six. However, after the locker did not open, the police team sealed it in front of the family members. They also visited Sangwan's home, PTI reported.
Phogat's family not satisfied with Goa Police's investigation
Continuing their investigation in Phogat's home town, Hisar, the police also seized three of her diaries. Meanwhile, her family has been insisting on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. "Goa Police is not doing proper investigation... I think political influence is also behind this, so now we will move to Goa High Court," Phogat's family said on Saturday.
Watch: Goa Police at Phogat's Gurugram flat
Development in the case so far
Six people have been arrested for Phogat's death in two cases (murder and narcotics), including two of her aides, two alleged drug suppliers, the owner of Curlie's restaurant, and a computer operator from Haryana. Earlier, the police confirmed that Phogat had been drugged with methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth. In a CCTV footage from Curlie's, Sangwan is seen forcing her to drink something.
