Goa: Elderly woman allegedly murdered over property deal; two realtors held | Latest India News

Panaji: The Goa police have arrested two real estate dealers for the alleged murder of an elderly Goan woman, who was found dead in her apartment in Calangute in North Goa on Friday.

According to the police, the suspects, identified as Nikhil Raje, hailing from Pune, and Aaquib Khalfe, residing in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, committed the crime after a dispute over the distribution of commission money from the sale of the victim’s property in Calangute.

Deodita Fernandes, 64, was found dead on Friday night by a caretaker in an apartment she owned in Calangute, police said. Her autopsy revealed that Fernandes had died of strangulation.

Fernandes, who lives in Mapusa, had travelled to Calangute to meet the duo. When she did not return home or answer calls, family members asked a caretaker to keep an eye on her. The apartment was locked from outside and when the caretaker opened the apartment with a duplicate key, he found her lying motionless, police said.

“The accused, identified as real estate agents, had transferred money from the victim’s account to their own account after committing the crime and were withdrawing money from the petrol pump at Anjuna, where they were arrested by the Calangute police station team,” said North Goa Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshat Kaushal.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that there might have been a dispute over commission money in the sale of the victim’s property in Calangute,” he added.

The SP reported that the suspects were brought before a first-class judge on Sunday and sentenced to ten days’ pre-trial detention.