A man has been arrested in Bengaluru in Karnataka in connection with the murder of celebrity perfumer Monika Khurde, a senior Goa Police officer said on Sunday.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Vimal Gupta told reporters that suspect Raj Kumar, hailing from Punjab, was picked up from Bengaluru after he tried to withdraw money from an ATM card belonging to the 39-year-old deceased late on Saturday night.
Police are expected to release more details about Kumar's alleged role in the murder at a media briefing expected to be held later in the evening.
Khurde, 39, was found dead on Thursday in her three-bedroom apartment in Sangolda village, around 10 km from Panaji. Her partially clothed body was found lying on bed, with her hands and feet tied. The post-mortem examination report suggested she was strangled.
How It Unfolded
- The incident came to light at around 11.30 pm on Thursday
- When Ghurde’s brother did not get any response to his phone calls.
- Maid came to Ghurde’s house as usual at about 9am
- Monica did not open the door despite repeated bells.
- When the door was opened, the neighbour saw the dead body.
- She was tied to the bed.
Earlier, Goa police claim to have identified two persons behind the murder.
According to media reports, they were caught by CCTV camera at an ATM at Porvorim, about 3 km from the scene of the crime, withdrawing money with her card.
Police said the two suspects also withdrew money in Bengaluru using the same card. Police have not disclosed their identities yet. To investigate further a team has now left for Karnataka.
Meanwhile, an autopsy report released on Saturday said Monika died of suffocation. The team of pathologists of Goa Medical College have reserved their opinion on whether the victim was sexually assaulted before her death.
The postmortem report reveals that marks were found on her private parts, but the panel of doctors at Goa Medical College and Hospital reserved their opinion on whether there was sexual assault. The viscera and swab would be sent to central forensic science laboratory in Hyderabad for chemical analysis.
Monika Ghurde (39), a famed perfume specialist, was living in a rented three-bedroom flat in Sangolda village, about 10 km from Panaji, since July after shifting from the adjoining Porvorim village, the police said.
Her hands and legs were found tied to a bed, according to police officials.
Monika originally hailed from Nagpur and was married to a photographer Bharat Ramamrutam from Tamil Nadu and was residing in Porvorim near Panjim, before she separated from her husband and shifted to Sangolda this July.
The perfumer, who was a regular on Goa's social circuit, is said to have met Ramamrutham in Mumbai while she was a photographer. She had done her photography course from Mumbai's JJ Institute of Applied Arts.
Subsequently, she moved to Chennai in 2009 to pursue her interest in perfumes, and later shifted to Goa in 2011. Monika had set up her perfume-making company Mo Lab, and was also researching perfumery. She collaborated with eminent designers such as Jean Francois Lesage, Christian Louboutin and Anand Kabra.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)