The Goa Police on Sunday arrested security guard Ram Kumar Singh from Bengaluru in connection with the murder of perfumer Monika Ghurde. Singh used to work as the security guard at Sapna Raj Valley, where Ghurde lived, but he was sacked in August after he stole her umbrella, a senior police officer said. Director General of Goa Police Muktesh Chander confirmed the development.

Singh was one of the two people who had been identified in connection with Ghurde's murder, according to The Times of India. They were caught withdrawing money using her ATM card 3 km away from where she was murdered, the newspaper had reported. They also withdrew money from the same card in Bengaluru, after which the Goa Police sent a team to Karnataka and also asked the Bengaluru Police to share security footage with them.

A senior police officer said Singh held a grudge against Ghurde since he lost his job after her umbrella was found among his possessions. Eyewitnesses also told investigators that Ghurde and Singh had got into a heated argument after his theft was caught.

The perfume designer was found found dead in her house in Goa's Sangolda area on Friday morning. An autopsy had concluded that Ghurde had died of suffocation. The report said she died because of "asphyxia as a result of compression of her neck and mouth", NDTV reported. The perfume designer was found found dead in her house in Goa's Sangolda area on Friday morning.

Further tests are on to conclude whether Ghurde was raped before she was killed, police said. Panjim Deputy Inspector General of Police GV Gupta said investigators were waiting for the results of "serological examinations of oral, vaginal and inner swabs".

Considered one of India's best perfumers, Ghurde was a successful photographer before she changed careers. She set up her first lab in Chennai and started conducting "smell" workshops across the globe.