New Delhi: According to Goa Police, two more people have been detained in connection with the murder of BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat.
Four people have now been detained in connection with this case, according to the police, including the proprietor of Curlies Beach Shack in Anjuna and Dattprashad Gaonkar, a suspected drug dealer.
Police arrested close aide of Sonali Phogat
Sudhir Sangwan, a close friend of Phogat, and Sukhwinder Singh were detained on Friday in connection with the alleged murder. According to the police, the two people who travelled to Goa with Phogat on August 22 admitted during questioning that they had forced her to swallow a substance laced with a “obnoxious” chemical on purpose. BOth of them will be produced in the court today.
In the meantime, Sukhwinder Singh is said to have received drugs from the alleged peddler Gaonkar detained today. “Based on the investigation, the police detained the drug peddler who had supplied drugs,” Anjuna Police said.
“Statement of more than 20-25 people have been recorded so far in the case. These include the staff of Curlies Restaurant and others. The owner of the restaurant is being questioned by the police,” police officials said.
On August 23, Sonali Phogat, 42, was declared dead at the St Anthony Hospital in Anjuna, North Goa. Her body had blunt force trauma, according to a post-mortem report, and the Goa Police then started investigation from murder angle.
Phogat’s PA arrested
When police gained access to the CCTV footage showing the group having a good time at a club, they made the arrests of Phogat’s PA and his friend.
“On the basis of CCTV footage, it was seen that the accused Sudhir Sangwan and his associate Sukhwinder Singh were partying with the deceased at a club. A video establishes that one of them forcefully made the victim consume a substance,” Inspector General of Police Omvir Singh Bishnoi said.
Sonali Phogat creamted in Hisar
Phogat was cremated at her hometown in Hisar yesterday. Her brother Rinky Dhaka said, “We are satisfied with how the investigation into the murder of my sister has progressed. The CCTV footage has revealed the truth. We cremated my sister today, will look into the further process to get her justice now.”
Rinku Dhaka alleged Phogat was killed by her PA
Rinku Dhaka had earlier filed a complaint alleging that Phogat was murdered by Sudhir Sangwan, her personal trainer along with Sukhwinder Singh who intended “to take over her properties and financial assets to finish her political career.”
“When confronted, Sukhwinder and Sudhir confessed that they intentionally mixed an obnoxious chemical into a liquid and made the victim drink it,” IGP Omvir Singh Bishnoi said.
Confessions of the accused
The victim felt uneasy after the two accused confessed intentionally putting an ‘obnoxious’ chemical into a drink and forced her to drink it. They then drove her to the hotel and subsequently to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Goa police.
Meanwhile, Phogat’s last rites were conducted on Friday at Hisar in Haryana. The actor, who rose to fame with her TikTok videos, contested the 2019 Haryana election as a BJP candidate but lost to then Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi (he has since joined the BJP). She also appeared in the reality show Bigg Boss in 2020.
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