Irish woman was raped, then killed with a beer bottle, claim Goa cops

[email protected] (News Network)
March 16, 2017

Margao, Mar 16: The Canacona police arrested a 23-year-old man with a criminal past on Wednesday on charges of murdering a 28-year-old Irish woman, Danielle McLaughlin.

rapist

McLaughlin's naked body was found at an isolated spot in Deubaug, south Goa, on Tuesday morning. Police named the arrested man as Vikat Bhagat, a resident of Bhagatwada, Char Rasta, Canacona. They said they were also interrogating three others to check if they were involved in the crime, reminiscent of the 2008 rape and murder of 15-year-old Briton Scarlett Keeling. Her killers were never punished.

Bhagat, police sources said, has a criminal record. He and three other locals were seen with the woman at a shack at Colomb, not too far from where her body was found.

Police sources claimed Bhagat had admitted he had raped the Irishwoman after taking her to the isolated spot late on Monday night. He then killed her using a broken beer bottle to prevent her from revealing his identity. Her body was found the next day, with injuries to her head and face. "Seven injury marks were observed on different parts of her body, including head and face, suggesting a scuffle," DSP Sammy Tavares, supervising the investigations, told TOI. Police are awaiting the post-mortem report, which will be conducted by doctors at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, before charging Bhagat with rape. Police have requested GMC to preserve her nail clippings and other forensic material for DNA profiling.

SP (north) Karthik Kashyap, who also holds charge as SP (south), said the accused had confessed to the crime. Sources said the shack where McLaughlin was last seen is very popular with foreign and domestic tourists. On Monday, Holi celebrations were organised at the place and McLaughlin and her friends were among those who attended. Bhagat was arrested on the basis of CCTV footage that revealed that he and three of his friends were also seen with her at the shack.

Sources said the murdered woman had visited Goa last year as well and she may have befriended some locals then. She had known Bhagat since her last visit, sources said. This year, she had been staying at Arambol, north Goa, since February 23.

Police sources said she came down to Canacona on March 12 and stayed at a friend's place in Agonda. On Monday, she proceeded to Palolem at around 1pm. Thereafter, she was seen with the accused at a shack in Overem, Palolem, till around 9.30pm, as revealed by CCTV footage.

The clothes which the deceased had been wearing were found packed in a bag near Bhagat's house, police sources informed. The scooter belonging to the accused has also been attached, as also the British passport belonging to the deceased (she held dual nationality). The Irish embassy and the British high commission are in touch with authorities here. Reports said McLaughlin had left Ireland in February to go "backpacking around the world". She spent her childhood in Buncrana, attending the local Scoil Mhuire secondary school, and later studied at a university in Liverpool.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 10,2024

devarajegowda.jpg

A day after National Commission for Women said no woman from Hassan approached the national body to file complaints against Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna, a new FIR accusing BJP leader Devaraje Gowda of abusing and assaulting a woman has come to light.

The FIR against Gowda was filed by a woman at the Holenarasipura town police station on April 1, after her husband had filed a complaint against the BJP leader on March 30. 

The purported victim's husband has alleged in his plaint that Gowda barged into their home, and threatened the couple while the BJP leader also abused the woman.

Gowda, notably, flagged Prajwal Revanna's case to the saffron party.

Reacting to the allegations levelled against him, the BJP politico posted a video on Facebook where he details how he met the woman and her husband in his office. He also claims that the allegations against him are a plot and false.

It must be noted here that a Special Investigation Team is currently probing the sexual assault cases against Prajwal Revanna who along with his driver Karthik is no longer in the country. A Blue Corner notice is also in place to apprehend the son of H D Revanna who himself is placed under judicial custody till May 14.

In a major twist to the entire case— the woman in the FIR alleged that Devaraje Gowda who apprised BJP of the sex videos involving Prajwal Revanna— has been harassing her for the past 10 months under the guise of helping her sell a property.

The woman also said that she came in contact with Gowda during the process involving the property that she wanted to sell. However, on the pretext of guiding her, the woman alleged that the whistleblower BJP leader physically assaulted and harassed her while Gowda also threatened the couple.

The woman has now sought police protection for herself and family. Further levelling allegations against Gowda in her plaint, she said that the politico had taken her to an isolated place where he assaulted her and threatened to kill the couple.

Former chief minister of Karnataka and Prajwal Revanna's uncle H D Kumaraswamy recently demanded a CBI probe in the Prajwal Revanna matter. However, Home Minister G Parameshwara turned down the demand for the investigation to be handed over to CBI.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 5,2024

Karwar, May 5: What commenced as a mere exchange of words between spouses swiftly transmuted into a calamitous ordeal, resulting in the heartbreaking loss of their innocent offspring. The heart-wrenching incident unfolded in the serene confines of Halamaddy village in the picturesque expanse of Dandeli, nestled within the idyllic expanse of Uttara Kannada district.

In the throes of a fervent dispute with her spouse, the aggrieved wife, succumbing to an overwhelming surge of emotions, callously propelled their tender six-year-old progeny into the somber depths of a nearby canal, thereafter alerting the local populace to her grievous act.

Promptly apprised of the distressing occurrence by concerned bystanders, the authorities were swiftly summoned to the scene to confront the harrowing aftermath.

Responding to the distress call, the diligent officers of Dandeli rural police swiftly converged upon the site where the innocent child had been cast into the unforgiving waters of the canal, subsequently effecting the retrieval of the child's lifeless form. 

Regrettably, it was discerned that a portion of the child's remains had been tragically claimed by the lurking jaws of a predatory crocodile.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 11,2024

prakashhindu.jpg

Madikeri, May 11: Kodagu police have apprehended the man allegedly responsible for the brutal murder of a minor girl within the confines of Kumbaragadige village in Karnataka's Somwarpet taluk. 

Kodagu Superintendent of Police, K Ramarajan, disclosed that the arrested individual is Prakash (32) from Hammiyala village in Somwarpet taluk. However, authorities are still in the process of recovering the severed head of the victim. The perpetrator had absconded with the victim's severed head after committing the crime. 

Search operations for the suspect commenced late on Thursday night (May 9), with officials diligently pursuing leads. Acting on information suggesting the suspect's presence in a forested area near the village, the police swiftly moved in and apprehended him.

The victim US Meena, 15, a student of Surlabbi High School, had passed the SSLC examinations, the results of which were announced on May. One same day, she was murdered. 

Reportedly, the engagement of the minor girl with the suspect was thwarted by officials from the Women and Child Development department. Subsequently, officials persuaded the girl's parents against proceeding with the marriage. 

However, despite these interventions, the suspect forcibly entered her residence during the night, purportedly abducted her, and later perpetrated the heinous crime in a wooded area on the outskirts of the forest, before absconding with her severed head.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.