Sonali Phogat death: Goa Police arrests shack owner, drug dealer
The Goa Police has arrested two more persons in connection with the suspected murder of actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sonali Phogat, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to four, NDTV reported. Among the arrested were the owner of the Goa restaurant-cum-shack Curlie's and a drug dealer. Earlier, two of her associates, Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Singh, were arrested.
Why does this story matter?
The death of Phogat—a former Bigg Boss contestant and content creator—shocked many people in the entertainment and political circles. She was visiting Goa with her staff, and it was initially reported that she suffered a heart attack based on a preliminary report by a team of doctors. However, the police on Thursday registered a murder case following the postmortem and allegations by her family.
Phogat was drugged by two accomplices: Police
The police on Friday said that Phogat might have died under the influence of drugs at Curlie's restaurant at Goa's famous Anjuna Beach. They said the two accomplices arrested for her alleged murder admitted to mixing obnoxious substances in her drink. Her personal assistant Sangwan and his friend Singh were arrested on Thursday on murder charges following a complaint by Phogat's family.
Crucial leads from CCTV footage
"On the basis of CCTV footage, it was seen that Sangwan and his associate Singh were partying with Phogat at a club. A video establishes that one of them forcefully made the victim consume a substance," IGP Omvir Singh Bishnoi earlier told ANI. He said when the accused were confronted, they confessed to intentionally mixing an obnoxious chemical into her drink.
How did owner of the restaurant respond?
Meanwhile, the owner of Curlie's, Edwin Nunes, who has now been arrested, verified that Phogat and others had visited his restaurant. However, he said nobody among the staff knew who they were. "They were like normal customers for us," he had told PTI. Nunes stated that he was questioned by the Goa Police about Phogat's presence at his restaurant following her death.
What did the family allege?
On Wednesday, Phogat's nephew accused Sangwan, who also serves as her personal secretary, of plotting her murder. Phogat's sister, too, alleged foul play in her death. Later, her brother filed a complaint at the Anjuna Police Station, after which the case was filed against the two accomplices under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
