‘Sonali Phogat Was Given Meth’: Goa Police Book Bar Owner Under NDPS Act

The 41-year-old actor-turned-politician died in Goa while she was on a shoot on 23 August.

The 41-year-old actor-turned-politician, Sonali Phogat, died in Goa while she was on a shoot on 23 August.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

With two more arrests in the suspicious death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sonali Phogat, Goa Police on Saturday, 27 August, revealed that Phogat was given methamphetamine by the accused – Sukhwinder Singh and Sudhir Sangwan (Phogat's personal assistant).

Earlier in the day, police made two more arrests – Curlies restaurant (where Phogat was partying) owner Edwin Nunes and drug peddler Dattaprasad Gaonkar.

The police have registered offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, against Nunes and Gaonkar, news agency ANI reported.

Further investigation has revealed that the drugs were supplied by Gaonkar who was working as a room boy in Hotel Grand Leoney Resort, Anjuna, where the accused persons and the deceased were staying, the police added.

Meanwhile, the two accused, Singh and Sangwan, were sent to 10-day police custody on Saturday.

They were nabbed on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Phogat's brother Rinku Dhaka.

Moreover, Director General of Police (Goa) Jaspal Singh said that an investigation team will be sent to Haryana as well.

The suspected drug peddler, Dattaprasad Gaonkar, was earlier detained from Anjuna after the accused duo "confessed" in their statement that they had procured drugs from him, the police said.

Goa Congress leader Michael Lobo claimed that "the police are trying to hush up the Sonali Phogat murder case" and has demanded a CBI probe instead.

From suspected heart attack to murder, ever since the death of Phogat, the case has seen several developments with various allegations made by the family and the investigation of the police unfolding.

The 41-year-old actor-turned-politician Phogat had died in Goa while she was on a shoot on 23 August.

The Goa Police on Friday, 26 August, had claimed that Sukhwinder Singh and Sudhir Sangwan had confessed to deliberately mixing chemicals into a liquid that she had consumed.

Goa's Inspector General of Police Omvir Singh Bishnoi said, "When confronted, accused Sukhwinder Singh and Sudhir Sangwan (Phogat's personal assistant) confessed they took Phogat to the restaurant on the pretext of partying, and there Sangwan mixed some obnoxious substance in the drinking water and forced her to drink it."

Allegations Made by Phogat's Family

• Dismissing heart attack as the cause of death, her family had claimed she didn't have any medical issues and it was not possible for her to have died of a heart attack. "She was very fit. We demand a proper investigation by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation). My family is not ready to accept that she died of a heart attack," Phogat's sister, Rupesh, had said.

• Later, Dhaka, in his complaint, claimed that a short while before her death, Phogat had spoken to her mother, sister, and brother-in-law. She sounded disturbed during the conversation and complained about her two colleagues, he alleged, adding that she was going to report it to Hisar Police the next day.

• He also alleged that three months ago Sudhir fed her kheer after which her "hands and legs started trembling and stopped working."

• Adding to the list of allegations, he also said that Sonali had told him that three years ago, Sudhir had sexually assaulted her after spiking her food and later blackmailed her.

• Sudhir had also allegedly taken away both her phones, property papers, ATM card, and house keys.

The Police Investigation

The police had earlier said that the cause of Phogat's death is established as heart attack.

However, her post-mortem report revealed 'multiple blunt force injuries' on her body. After which, the police on Thursday, 25 August, added sections of murder to the registered FIR, and the two accused were detained and questioned overnight.

On Friday, 26 August, the police arrested Sukhwinder and Sudhir and took them for medical checkup. The police in its statement also said that the accused spiked Phogat's drink with some obnoxious substance and forced her to drink it.

"Later she was taken by Sangwan and Singh to the hotel where they were staying, and then to St Anthony's hospital, where she was declared brought dead," the police added.

Jaspal Singh, Director-General of Police (DGP) of Goa said, "The post-mortem report remained inconclusive. The only way left is to question the suspects to ascertain the manner of death."