have registered the case as an unnatural death, senior police officers have not ruled out the possibility of a drug overdose as the tourist was behaving abnormally and running through the villages.
“We are awaiting clearance from the American embassy to conduct the post-mortem. The exact cause of death will be known only after that as no physical injuries were noticed in the inquest panchanama,” a senior police officer said.
He said it could be a case of drug overdose. According to sources, the American tourist had come to India in July 2015 but there are no records with the Regional Foreigners’ Registration Office of Goa Police. It is learnt that he landed in New Delhi and it is possible that he might have arrived in Goa by rail or road.
Sources said the tourist was chased by locals and police when he started misbehaving with them. They added that Vholte was mentally unstable and was misbehaving with locals at Deulwada in Korgao Pernem. Sources said locals tried to bring him under control but were not able to catch him.
On Tuesday afternoon he marched towards Toombwada village a distance of approximately 2 kms where he rushed into a paddy field that had been ploughed and filled with water. Sources said he was chased by locals and beaten up in the muddy fields.
Police sources said that in the scuffle Vholte consumed mud and got choked. Police pulled him out from the fields and gave him first aid, including artificial respiration. He was later taken to the government hospital in Pernem where he was declared dead.
