A former security guard for perfumer Monika Ghurde's building has confessed to raping and killing her, NDTV reported. Ghurde’s body was found with her hands and legs tied to a bed in her rented apartment in Goa’s Sangolda village on October 5. The accused was arrested from Bengaluru on October 8.
Rajkumar Singh, 21, was arrested after he used Ghurde’s ATM card, which helped the police track him down. Deputy Inspector General of Police Vimal Gupta said, "He has told the investigating officer that for two days, he took refuge on the terrace of the building where Monica lived before forcibly entering her flat on the evening of October 5."
During his interrogation, Singh said he killed her to take revenge because he was fired by the residential society after Ghurde and other residents complained against him. She reportedly complained against him after her umbrella was found among his possessions. Singh also said he was denied his dues, which amounted to Rs 22,000, after he lost his job.
He told investigators that he forcefully entered Ghurde’s apartment, overpowered her at knifepoint, and when she fell unconscious, he tied her to her bed. He then boiled eggs and had them with chocolates and some other snacks from her kitchen while he waited for her to gain consciousness. He said he forced her to watch porn clips and raped her before smothering her face with a pillow, which led to her death. He also shaved in her apartment thus leaving "clinching evidence" to link him to the crime. He then fled the scene with the her phone, some cash and ATM cards.
The police said they have sent the facial hair samples to a forensic lab for DNA analysis, The Indian Express reported. Gupta said, “The accused was attracted to Monica since the day she inquired about availability of a flat in the complex and later followed her movements when she started living there. After his duty as a security guard, he would wash the residents' cars, including Monica's." The accused, who hails from Punjab, was sentenced to seven days in police custody by a local Goa court on Tuesday.
Considered one of India's best perfumers, Ghurde was a successful photographer before she changed careers. She set up her first lab in Chennai and started conducting "smell" workshops across the globe.
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