Sonali Phogat's death brings Goa's 'Curlie's' restaurant back into limelight
What's the story
The alleged murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sonali Phogat has brought the limelight back to 'Curlie's' restaurant on Goa's famous Anjuna beach after 14 years, PTI reported. Phogat (42) had visited the restaurant on Monday night and was declared brought dead at a private hospital on August 23. Earlier, the restaurant hogged the headlines in 2008 when a British teenager died there.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The death of Phogat, a former Bigg Boss contestant and content creator shocked many people in the entertainment and political circles. As per reports, she was visiting Goa with her staff and reportedly suffered a heart attack based on a preliminary report by a team of doctors. However, the police on Thursday registered a murder case following the postmortem.
Background
Curlie made headlines in 2008 rape and murder case
The restaurant gained headlines during the investigation into the 2008 death of British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling. Keeling's mother then claimed that her daughter went to 'Curlie's' shortly before being sexually molested and abandoned on the beach. On the other hand, Phogat's death was previously assumed to be the result of a heart attack. However, her relatives suspected foul play.
Details
What do we know about the previous case?
According to the evidence on record, the British teenager was taken to Curlie's before arriving at the Lui's Shack, where she died, advocate Vikram Varma, a counsel who represented her mother, Fiona Mackeown, told PTI. The evidence also showed that she might have already been drunk with deadly substances prior to coming to Lui's Shack, he claimed.
Latest
Curlie's again in news for wrong reasons
Now, the restaurant is once again making headlines following Phogat's death. Originally from Hisar in Haryana, Phogat became a celebrity on TikTok, the well-known video hosting service that India has banned. She was allegedly driven to Curlie's by the two suspects, Phogat's personal assistant Sudhir Sangwan and his associate Sukhwinder Singh, on the night she died, according to her nephew Mohinder Phogat.
Response
What did owner of the restaurant say?
Meanwhile, the owner of Curlie's Edwin Nunes verified that Phogat and others had visited his restaurant. However, he said nobody among the staff knew who they were. "They were like normal customers for us," he said. Nunes stated that he was questioned by Goa Police about Phogat's presence at his restaurant following her death.
Information
What do we know about the incident so far?
According to authorities, Phogat landed in Goa with two of her colleagues on August 22. The Goa Police filed a murder complaint against the two on Thursday after a postmortem report revealed "several blunt force injuries" on Phogat's body.