PANAJI: Monika Ghurde (39) was well-known in the perfume industry circles for conducting ‘smell’ workshops across the world to create awareness about olfactory senses. She lived alone in the flat at Sangolda . The village is about 5 km from the famous Calangute beach.
Her naked body was found at her residence in Sangolda with her hands and legs tied to the bed. Marks on her neck indicate that she was strangulated, police said.
According to a News18 report, the murder came to light when Monika Ghurde’s neighbor was alerted by her brother, who lives in Mumbai, after the 39-year-old perfume designer did not respond to his repeated calls.
Police found that the flat had been burgled. “The house was burgled but we can't ascertain what things were stolen from the flat," inspector Rajesh Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI.
The building's watchman said he did not see anyone entering her flat.
The inspector said Monika Ghurde’s body has been a post-mortem and the exact cause of death would be ascertained only after the report was had.
Monika Ghurde was an independent perfume designer and a researcher based in Goa. She used to work for a UK perfume firm before she founded her own company called MOLab. As a graduate in graphic design and photography from JJ Institute of Applied Arts Mumbai, she worked as a portrait photographer for a decade before becoming a perfumer.
Known as an accidental perfumer Monika's workshop titled ‘The Invisible You" has helped many find out how a smell can influence one's behavior, consciously or subconsciously. The visual artist lived in Chennai until a few years ago.