Goa man found guilty of raping, murdering foreign tourist gets life imprisonment

31-year-old Vikat Bhagat, guilty of raping and murdering a British-Irish backpacker at Palolem beach in March 2017, was on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment by the district court in South Goa’s Margao.

In her order, Judge Kshama Joshi also sentenced Bhagat to three years imprisonment for destruction of evidence, sentences which will run concurrently.

“The accused is ordered to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay fine of ₹25,000/- each for the offences punishable under section 302 and 376 IPC and imprisonment for a period of 3 years for the offence punishable under section 201 IPC and fine of ₹10,000/- in default to undergo imprisonment for one year. The sentence of imprisonment for life shall run concurrently,” Joshi said.

The Irish woman’s family welcomed the verdict saying that they wanted a closure in the case.

“The family is relieved that there is a closure… that justice has been done. It was a long trial,” Advocate Vikram Varma, representing the family said.

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Bhagat, who was 24 at the time, was last seen on March 13, 2017, the eve of Holi at Palolem a coastal village in south Goa where she was staying with an Australian friend to celebrate the festival. The following morning her body was found in a pool of blood unclothed at an isolated location some distance from the beach.

A post-mortem had concluded that the victim, 28, who was backpacking solo in India, died due to brain haemorrhage and constriction of the neck and that she was raped before being murdered.

Bhagat, who was arrested within hours of her body being found, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Video footage and eyewitness testimony from a resort in Palolem showed her with Bhagat along with a few other young men. Police ruled out the possibility of multiple assailants.

On Friday, the court heard arguments over the quantum of sentence with prosecutor Devanand Korgaonkar pleading for maximum punishment, arguing that the accused showed no remorse, had previous criminal history, and that the court should set a precedent for crimes against women. The prosecution also pointed to the brutality of the murder and the manner in which the body was found.

The defence argued for leniency, saying that the case is based on circumstantial evidence and that past criminal history can’t be used against a person in the absence of conviction.