Police arrest Karnataka man who killed girlfriend during Goa trip over suspected affair

Officers said the two had been in a relationship and that he allegedly murdered her during a trip to Goa after suspecting that she was involved with another man. (Representative image)

The Goa Police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the murder of his girlfriend during their trip to Goa, The Indian Express reported.

According to the report, the body of the woman was found with her throat slit in a forest area of Goa on Monday morning. The accused was identified as Sanjay Kevin M, of Hubballi, Karnataka.

Officers said the two had been in a relationship and that he allegedly murdered her during a trip to Goa after suspecting that she was involved with another man, the report added.

The murder victim, a 22-year-old from Bengaluru, worked as non-teaching staff at a school. The accused, Sanjay Kevin M, was unemployed. A murder case was registered at the Ponda police station, and a probe is underway. As per the report, a crime scene examination was carried out with the help of a forensic science laboratory team, dog squad and technical experts.

According to police, ahead of the murder, the accused left his house in Bengaluru and met up with the victim near Haveri in Karnataka, after which they decided to visit Goa for a short trip. They then boarded a bus from Hubballi, the report added.

“They had been schoolmates and had been in a relationship for several years. Lately, he began to suspect that she was having relations with another man. Enraged over the issue, he planned to murder her in Goa. He carried a knife with him for this purpose,” a police officer was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

The couple reached Goa and got down from the bus near a forest area at Pilliem in the Dharbandora area on Sunday. “The accused lured her into the bushes and slit her throat with a knife. He grabbed her phone and fled from the spot. Then he hailed a taxi to return to Hubballi,” added the police officer. As per the report, in preliminary questioning, the accused claimed he wanted to die by suicide after returning to Karnataka.

Goa Police managed to trace him after retrieving a crucial piece of evidence — a bus ticket — from the victim’s purse at the crime scene. Police then checked CCTV footage from the bus stand and connected the dots. A police team from Ponda sub-division, with the assistance of the local police in Hubballi, apprehended the accused early on Tuesday morning.

According to the report, South Goa SP Tikam Singh Verma described the case as a “blind murder case” that was solved within 24 hours. In a press statement, police said the accused “admitted to having an argument with her during their journey to Goa”.

“He murdered her by slitting her throat with a knife after deboarding the bus at Pilliem. The motive appears to be related to personal relationship issues,” the police statement was quoted by The Indian Express.