Sonali Phogat Killing Case: Police Arrest a Goa Club Owner and a Drug Dealer

Two more suspects have been detained in the murder of BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat, including a drug trafficker and the proprietor of the Goa restaurant in which she was spotted having a good time the night before she was killed.

With this arrest, there have now been four arrests in connection with the death of the Haryana BJP leader. A day after two of her colleagues, Sudhir Sangwan as well as Sukhwinder Singh, were also detained, Edwin Nunes, the proprietor of Curlie’s restaurant, and narcotics dealer Dattaprasad Gaonkar were also taken into custody.

According to a source, Sangwan and Singh “admitted” to the police that they had purchased cocaine from Gaonkar.

More than 25 persons have been questioned by the police so far in connection with the case, including employees of the restaurant, the hotel wherein Phogat was lodging, the hospital in which she was pronounced dead, and her chauffeur.

The police said Wednesday, citing surveillance video and purported admissions, that Phogat was at the renowned restaurant-turned-nightclub on Beach on Monday when she was forced to drink “some foul chemical” mixed in liquid by Sangwan and Singh.

After drinking it, she “felt uneasy” and was unable to move on her own, so her friends drove her to the hotel where they were staying, the Grand Leonny. The following morning, the BJP leader was carried to St Anthony’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

According to a statement from the police, “CCTV recordings of relevant establishments were inspected by the Investigating Officer and it has been determined that Sudhir was forcing Sonali to drink the claimed liquid in a water bottle.”

In order to prevent them from destroying the evidence, Sangwan as well as Singh were detained on Thursday night, according to the police.

There were “several blunt force wounds over the body,” according to Phogat’s post-mortem report from Thursday, and the police need to look into how she passed away. The reason of her death can only be determined following a viscera test, according to the police’s statement from yesterday.