Canacona (Goa): Two months after the incident, the accused in British national Danielle McLaughling rape and murder case has claimed that three of his friends were involved in the crime, while he has been made scapegoat.

Vikat Bhagat, an accused, arrested for raping and murdering McLaughling at Canacona on March 13, 2017, has written a letter to his sister, the copy of which is available with TNV, claiming that he has been made scapegoat by the police.

Bhagat has named three boys who were his friends, accusing them of gang-raping the girl before putting her to death with stone. The 29-page-letter which is written in Konkani, gives the graphic details about the incidents before and after the crime.

The Briton lady was found between Agonda and Canacona at an isolated spot with her face smashed with a stone, few hours after she was seen playing Holi with friends on a beach shack.

The accused who is currently in Colvale central jail has said that on the fateful day, three of his friends came to the place where he was sitting with the girl and demanded to have sex.

Bhagat has admitted that both of them were doing drugs at an isolated spot while other three were also high on the narcotics and liquor. The accused has named all the three and claimed that two of them raped her despite her protesting.

While she was not allowing them to touch her, one accused hit her with beer bottle and later smashed her head with a stone lying nearby. “I tried to save her but since I had undergone shoulder surgery, I could not help her,” Bhagat said.

When contacted, Canacona police inspector Filomeno Costa, who is investigating the rape and murder case, said that all the three boys were questioned during the investigation but there was nothing on record to prove their link to the crime.

“Bhagat is trying to save himself from the punishment by cooking up a story against three of his friends. We have all evidences against Bhagat and case would be soon charge-sheeted,” he said.

Vikram Varma, who was initially legally helping McLaughlin family in this case, has said that he had expressed possibility of more men being involved in the crime besides Bhagat.

“On the request of Danielle’s friends, I had examined the facts and circumstances of the case. I was convinced and vocal that there were more men involved in this gruesome crime,” Varma said responding to email queries of TNV.

“If what is stated in this letter is true, it clearly indicates the possibility that  some officer of  the local police is trying to protect  the other criminals,” said Varma, who is legal advisor to Fiona Mackeown, mother of Scarlett Eden Keeling, who was found dead in similar fashion at Anjuna beach in the year 2008.

“Such investigations and charge sheets while often failing a judicial scrutiny,  sabotage the entire criminal justice system,” Varma said, adding, “I do hope that the matter is looked into by our political leadership and adequate steps are taken to ensure that justice is not subverted.”

Team TNV