The owner of Curlies, who allegedly provided drugs to the two murder accused held in the Sonali Phogat case, and a drug peddler were arrested by the Anjuna Police on Saturday. Meanwhile, the two murder accused persons, Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Singh were placed before the JMFC Court Mapusa on Saturday and were remanded 10 days police custody.
This brings the total number of arrests in the Haryana BJP leader’s death case to four. Edwin Nunes, Curlie’s restaurant owner, and drug dealer Dattaprasad Gaonkar’s arrests come a day after two of her associates, Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Singh were arrested.
The accused Sukhwinder Singh reportedly procured the drug Methamphetamine from the peddler. The police also found the drug in the toilet of Curlies. Based on the drug seized from the toilet, separate cases have been booked against the owner of Curlies and drug peddler Dattaprasad Gaonkar from Valpoi. Both have been booked under sections 22(b), 25 & 29 of the NDPS act. More arrests are expected.
The police have so far interrogated more than 25 people in the case, including the staff of the restaurant, the resort where Phogat was staying, the hospital where she was declared brought dead, and her driver.
Presently Anjuna Police have sealed the first floor of Curlies in Anjuna where Haryana BJP leader Sonali Phogat and the accused were seen partying and where Phogat was allegedly forcibly given synthetic drugs.
Phogat was at the famous restaurant-cum-nightclub on Anjuna beach on Monday where she was forcibly made to drink “some obnoxious substance” mixed in water by Sangwan and Singh, the police said yesterday citing security camera footage and alleged confessions.
She “felt uneasy” and could barely walk on her own after drinking it, and was taken to the hotel, Grand Leonny, by her associates where they were staying. The BJP leader was taken to St Anthony’s Hospital the next morning where she was declared brought dead.
“CCTV recordings of relevant premises were examined by the Investigating Officer and it was found that Sudhir was forcefully making Sonali drink the alleged liquid in a water bottle,” the police said in a statement.
Murder charges were earlier filed by the Goa Police against Sudhir Sagwan and Sukhwinder Singh. The two male friends of the Haryana BJP politician are accused of adding an “obnoxious substance” to water and making her drink it when they were out partying in a restaurant.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that he has given full support from day one in the investigation. “Those who have to be punished will be punished by the Goa Police. At present, the accused are in custody and the investigation is going on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Goa Forward supremo and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai took a dig at the BJP government for not taking this case seriously and also the rise of crimes in the state.
