Sonali Phogat's PA, his aide held for murder after autopsy report reveals injuries

Hisar, August 25

Two days after BJP leader and actress Sonali Phogat died at a resort in Goa, the police today arrested her personal assistant Sudhir Sangwan and his friend Sukhwinder Wasi for her murder.

May recommend CBI probe: Khattar

• Phogat was brought dead to a hospital in Goa on Tuesday
• Autopsy reveals blunt force injuries on body, two arrested
• CM Khattar says he will consider family’s demand for CBI probe

Sources said both were detained by the Goa police soon after Phogat was brought dead to a hospital in North Goa district on August 23, but were formally arrested today after the registration of a case under Section 302 of the IPC against them.

The accused were named by Phogat’s brother Rinku Dhaka in his complaint filed with the Anjuna police on Wednesday. Sagwan and Wasi had accompanied Phogat when she arrived in Goa on August 22. The next day, Sangwan called her family and claimed she died due to heart attack. However, her family got suspicious over the circumstances of her death and lodged a police complaint.

Dhaka alleged Phogat had spoken to their brother-in-law Aman Punia on August 22, and told him about the “intentions” of her assistant. “She told Punia that Sangwan and his friend had committed a theft at her house in Hisar three years ago and that she would approach the police on her return to Hisar on August 23. She also said Sangwan had given her food laced with some intoxicant, raped her and made a video and was threatening to make the video viral on social media,” he alleged.

The police action came after the post-mortem report mentioned that there were “multiple blunt force injuries” on her body. Meanwhile, condoling Phogat’s death, CM Manohar Lal Khattar said he was in touch with his Goa counterpart on the matter. “We are with the family. We will consider their demand for a CBI probe into the case,” he said.