Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given a nod to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the mysterious death of Sonali Phogat. The move came hours after Goa Chief minister Pramod Sawant recommended the case be investigated by the central agency.
The CBI may register a case and start investigations soon after the MHA’s recommendation, sources told The New Indian.
The family of the Tik Tok star on Sunday held a “Sarv Jatiya Khap Pahapanchayat” in Hisar and demanded a CBI inquiry into her murder. They had also given an ultimatum to the government to go for a mass agitation till September 23.
Phogat died on August 23 under mysterious circumstances in Goa. Goa police registered a murder case and arrested five people, including Sangwan and four others. Three of them are suspected to be drug peddlers.
As per Phogat’s family and police investigations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) owned properties in Hisar’s Dhandhoor and New Delhi’s Sant Nagar worth more than ₹100 crore. They suspect that her PA, Sudhir Sangwan, might be eyeing the properties.
The investigations have so far revealed that Sangwan had tried to take her properties worth crores in lease deed, just 10 days before her death. However, the deal could not be signed as Phogat did not put her signature down. The Goa police had also seized these documents when the team was in Hisar.
Ten days ago, Goa police also visited Haryana’s Hisar – the native place of Phogat – and collected documents related to her properties. Later, it searched house number 109, located in tower number 4 of Gurgaon Green Society in Sector 102 of Gurugram. The flat’s rent agreement was in the name of Sudhir Sangwan.
Before flying to Goa on August 21, Phogat and Sangwan came to this flat from her native place in a Tata Safari car owned by Sangwan. This vehicle was also found parked in the society’s parking.
One gold chain, two bangles, earrings containing diamonds, one pen, which also appeared to be made of gold, two expensive hand watches, the passport and Aadhar card of Sonali Phogat, two diaries, and two keys have been recovered from the flat by the team of Goa Police. Police sources said some documents were also recovered from the house.