Accused Rajkumar Singh acted on his own, say police.
Robbery was the motive behind the murder of Indian perfumer Monika Ghurde whose naked body was found in her three-bedroom apartment near Calangute beach in Goa, last week. The police arrested Rajkumar Singh, 22, for allegedly killing the 39-year-old perfumer.
“The accused was arrested from Bengaluru, where he had checked into a hotel after committing the crime,” Deputy Inspector General of Police Vimal Gupta told PTI.
According to the police, Singh killed Ghurde singlehandedly and undressed her to film her nude for blackmailing her later. The accused spent some time in the house believing that she was unconscious. But, Singh fled to Bengaluru after realizing that she was dead, reported The Hindustan Times.
Singh stole two mobile phones and two ATM cards of Ghurde after killing her and left the house. The CCTV footages from two ATM centers in Mangalore and Bengaluru from where the accused withdrew money helped the police identify him.
The police have turned down the involvement of an accomplice though one more person is seen on the footage.
Rajkumar Singh knew Ghurde as he had worked as the security guard in an apartment where she had stayed earlier. He was fired from the job after several residents complained about his behavior.
“Rajkumar was identified from the records of police verification at the local police station which maintains details of all helps working in the apartment,” said Vimal Gupta, an officer leading the investigation.
Ghurde was found dead in her apartment near Calangute beach in Goa on Thursday, last week. She was naked and her hands and legs were tied to the bed in her apartment.
The police are waiting for a forensic report to confirm whether Ghurde was raped or not.
Born in Nagpur in Maharashtra, Ghurde was a well-known Indian perfumer who had worked with some international companies. The founder of Mo Labs, she conducted workshops around the world.
Ghurde had stayed in neighboring Provorim village before moving to Sangolda in July. She stayed alone in her house while her husband stayed in a nearby house.