British woman killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir - A young British woman was Saturday found murdered inside a houseboat in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

Indian police remove the body of a British woman from a motorboat on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar, April 6, 2013. A Dutch tourist has been arrested after a British woman was found dead inside a houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinagar on Saturday, according to local media. [Photo/Agencies]

The woman vacationer was allegedly killed by a Dutch tourist. The suspect De-wit Richard has been arrested while trying to escape from Qazigund town around 85 km south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Police identified the slain tourist as 24-year-old Sara Elizabeth. The Dutch national arrived two days back and booked a separate room in the houseboat where the woman was staying.

"Preliminary investigation revealed last night the Dutch national forced himself into the woman's room and assaulted her. The door of the room in which she was staying was found broken," said Afad-ul-Mujbata, a senior police officer in Srinagar.

"After that he fled the houseboat in a small boat, which capsized in the lake but he swam across up to the road and took a taxi trying to escape from the city. We flashed an alert for his arrest to our men and he was detained in Qazigund."

The suspect was trying to run away with his passport only and left behind his belongings in the houseboat.  

The murder has sent shock waves among the houseboat owners on the lake.

"She was like our family member. Last evening she took the dinner with us as she was staying in our houseboat for the past around two months. Later on she went to her room and locked it from inside," said Abdul Rahim, the owner of the houseboat.

"During the night we heard some noise and later on found something unusual has happened. We immediately informed the police. "

A team of forensic experts immediately rushed to the spot to collect the vital evidence and help with the investigation. The body has been sent for a postmortem. Police suspect the victim might have been raped before being killed. However, top officials are tight-lipped.