There are fears that a drug-smuggling operation could cause further delays in the trial of the man accused of murdering Buncrana woman Danielle McLaughlin in India.
Vikat Bhagat, the man accused of murdering the 28-year-old holidaymaker, is at the centre of a separate cocaine smuggling case in prison.
Bhagat has been in custody since 2017 on charges of rape, murder, violent robbery and destruction of evidence.
However, last week, two men were arrested, including a prison guard at the Colvale jail in north Goa, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the jail. The police said that the prison guard revealed that the drugs were for Bhagat, and they intend to arrest and quiz him over the smuggling operation.
Danielle’s heartbroken mother, Andrea Brannigan, said she fears that the enquiry will put a halt to the murder trial and add a further delay to justice.
Vikat Bhagat denies the charges of murdering Danielle in March 2017. The young Donegal woman had travelled to India where she planned to train as a yoga teacher. On 14th March, she was found dead in a secluded spot in Canacona, an area of Goa popular with holidaymakers.
