PANJIM: The District and Sessions Court, Panjim, on Friday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to open the digital safe vault of Tik Tok star and BJP leader late Sonali Phogat from Haryana.
The Sessions Court granted permission to the CBI only for the purpose of investigation on condition that the entire process of opening the digital safe vault will be videographed.
The State government has handed over the case to the CBI on September last year, following the demand made by the family of Phogat and also recommendation by the Haryana government.
Phogat, 42, was declared dead at the St Anthony Hospital, Anjuna, in North Goa, on August 23 last year. After initially concluding death due to natural cause, the Goa Police added murder Sections after her post-mortem report revealed blunt force injury on the body. In all, five persons were arrested by the police.
BJP leader Phogat along with her associate Sagwan and his friend Sukhwinder had arrived in Goa on August 22 last year, on the pretext of film shooting. They stayed in a resort at Vagator and on the same night went to Curlies Restaurant at Anjuna, on the pretext of partying where one of the accused allegedly mixed some obnoxious substance in drinking water and forced Sonali to drink it.
Meanwhile, Sudhir Sagwan, the main accused in Sonali Phogat alleged murder case was released on bail by the Sessions Court in June this year, while another accused Sukhwinder Wasi Singh was released on bail in May this year.
