A British tourist was found murdered on a houseboat in Srinagar Saturday. Police have detained a Dutch national suspected to have committed the murder, Kashmir police chief said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Abdul Ghani Mir told IANS: "A 24-year-old British national was found murdered in a local houseboat this morning. A Dutch national, De-wit Richard, has been detained for investigations in this connection".
Asked whether the victim had been raped before the murder, the police chief said: "While preliminary investigation has confirmed that the 24-year-old woman was murdered, we are investigating other angles. Forensic evidence is being collected."
The Dutch national was living in the same houseboat, in a room adjacent to the victim's room. The door of her room was found smashed by the police.
"The Dutch national had fled from the houseboat in the night, leaving behind his belongings. He was trying to flee from the Valley, carrying only his passport. We flashed an alert for his arrest," the police chief said, revealing that the man was held at Qazigund of south Kashmirs' Anantnag district.