Post-mortem reveals celeb perfumer Monika Ghurde was strangled

Panaji: Police are yet to get a breakthrough in the murder of perfume expert Monika Ghurde (39), who was found dead in her apartment in Sangolda village, 7 km from Panaji, in Goa on Thursday morning. Yet, they are reportedly hopeful of cracking the case in a day or two.

Monika Ghurde

The autopsy, conducted last afternoon, however, confirmed their suspicion that Ghurde had been strangled, revealing that the death was caused "due to asphyxia caused by compression of mouth and neck".

Monika Ghurde's three-bedroom flat in Sangolda village, 7 km from Panaji, Goa

Confirming this, Inspector Jivba Dalvi of Porvorim police station, which is also helping out with the probe, said, "The autopsy report states that she died of strangulation."

Probe teams fan out
Goa DGPâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088Muktesh Chander said over 50 persons, including Ghurde's estranged husband, Bharath Ramamrutham, brother Anand (who found the body), and the domestic help (who sounded the alarm), have been questioned. The security guard of the building where Ghurde lived, too, was questioned, but was reportedly unable to provide any information on any visitor(s) to her apartment on the day of the murder. "We are checking CCTV cameras in the vicinity," said Chander. Multiple police teams have been formed and sent to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Sources said no police team from Goa has yet reached Nagpur, Ghurde's hometown.

Sources at the Saligao police station, which has jurisdiction over Sangolda village, said the police are likely to solve the case "within the next one to two days".

They added that the Goa Police is trawling through Ghurde's mobile phone call records.

No confirmation of rape
Inspector Rajesh Kumar from Saligao police station, who is the investigating officer, declined to offer specific details. "There is no CCTV camera footage available from the apartment complex [where Ghurde lived]. There is no confirmation of rape.

Only a serological examination (testing for bodily fluids, including semen) can confirm sexual assault. This may take around 15 days as Goa does not have a laboratory to conduct such a test. Samples are usually sent to Hyderabad or Chennai.

Ramamrutham declined to comment. "I'm not interested in giving any sound bytes." Jayawant Ghurde, Ghurde's brother who practises law in Nagpur, too, refused to talk.

Ghurde's body has been handed over to her family, and she is expected to be cremated in Goa today.

(With inputs by Pamela D'Mello, Dharmendra Jore, Jane Borges and Shraddha Uchil)