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PANAJI, India (AP) — A female Irish tourist whose body was found in the western beach state of Goa was raped and strangled, police said Thursday.
Police officer Umesh Gaonkar said an autopsy showed that cerebral damage and constriction of the neck caused her death.
The body of the 28-year-old woman was found Tuesday by a farmer on an isolated beach near Canacona village.
Gaonkar said a suspect, a local criminal who was arrested Wednesday, would face rape and murder charges.
The crime highlights persistent violence against women in India despite tougher laws against sexual assault imposed after the 2012 death of a young woman who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi.
Gaonkar said the Irish tourist came to Goa with an Australian female friend and they were staying in a beach hut. They attended celebrations of an Indian festival on Monday night at a nearby village. The Irish tourist left the village late at night and her body was found the next day, he said.
In 2008, the death of a British teenager in the coastal state shocked tourists. Two men were arrested and tried for the crime, but were acquitted by a court last year.
Goa is a former Portuguese colony and a popular backpacking destination. Millions of tourists visit its numerous beach resorts every year.
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