Goa: Irish woman found dead after Holi celebrations near Deobagh beach
Reports said one person has been arrested and six other suspects are being questioned by the police.
A Irish woman was found dead in a deserted part of south Goa’s Canacona sub-district, the police told IANS on Wednesday. The 28-year-old woman was found near Deobagh beach on Tuesday after she had participated in Holi celebrations.
The police have arrested one person in connection with the incident, according to ANI. They have also questioned six suspects, reported The Times of India. The police have recovered the woman’s clothes but have not yet found the murder weapon. Her passport and other belongings are also missing.
The police are also investigating whether she was raped, after they found unspecified injuries on her body. “The body was lying in a pool of blood without clothes and there were injuries to the head and face,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sammy Tavares. The body has been sent to Goa Medical College for a post-mortem to ascertain if she was raped before being murdered.
The Irish embassy has taken note of the incident. “[We are] in contact with Indian authorities in relation to reports of an incident involving an Irish citizen. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stands ready to provide consular assistance,” said the embassy in a statement, according to The Guardian.
The incident comes months after two men were acquitted for raping British teenager Scarlet Keeling in 2008. Keeling, 15, was raped and dumped on Anjuna beach on February 18, 2008. She later succumbed to her injuries.