British woman murdered in Srinagar, Dutch suspect held while on the run

SRINAGAR: A 23-year-old British woman was found dead with several stab wounds in a houseboat in Dal Lake on Saturday morning, allegedly killed by a Dutch tourist who was later arrested while on the run. Police said the body of the victim, Sarah Elizabeth Groves from Manchester, was found in a pool of blood and suspected that the accused Dutchman, Richard Caliper Dennis, may have sexually assaulted the British woman before killing her.
Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range), A G Mir told TOI that the accused was staying in the same houseboat and tried to escape from the valley after the crime in a cab which was intercepted at Qazigund, 70 km from here. “Richard has been booked for murder and a case registered in Nehru Park police station,” he said. Mir said the victim’s body had been sent for post mortem. “We are collecting all forensic evidence to ascertain whether the victim was raped before being killed,” he said.
“The Dutchman’s belongings were found in his room and he had only taken the passport while fleeing after the murder. I found the woman in a pool of blood with her clothes torn around 6am while Richard was missing from his room. Thereafter, I went to tourist police at tourist reception centre where I came to know that the Dutchman had boarded a cab for Jammu,” said houseboat owner Abdul Rahim Shoda who was the first to visit the crime scene. He said that the British tourist had been staying in the houseboat over the last two months while Richard checked in just two days ago.
Shoda said the accused is said to have swum to the banks of the Dal Lake after the shikara he took to escape capsized. “Richard was without any footwear and his clothes were wet when he hired the cab from the tourist centre,” he said quoting witnesses.
Shoda’s son Syed Ahmad, who works as guide in Goa and had accompanied Sarah, said that the British tourist had so far only gone to Gulmarg and was planning to visit other tourist places. “Sarah had got close to our family. She used to have food with us and stay with my family members,” said the houseboat owner, his voice choking with emotion.