British woman murdered in India

A policeman stands guard outside a houseboat where a female British tourist was found dead on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, India
7 April 2013

Police in India are investigating whether a British woman was sexually assaulted before she was stabbed to death on a floating hotel in India.

Sarah Groves, 24, was found in a pool of blood inside her room on the houseboat, on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, on Saturday.

A Dutch national who had also been staying at the hotel has been arrested on suspicion of her murder.

The door to Miss Grove's room had been smashed open. Local police said the victim had multiple stab wounds over her body while a knife was found next to her.

The man, aged 43, fled with only his passport, leaving behind all his belongings before he was arrested in Qazigund, a town just under 45 miles south of Srinagar.

Miss Groves spent more than a month on the houseboat while the man was booked into a separate room on Thursday, police said, adding that they were investigating whether the two knew each other. Police said the victim's body will be examined to determine whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Samir Shoda, the son of the houseboat's owner, was helping police with their inquiries, The Sunday Telegraph reported. He told the paper that he met Miss Groves during a holiday in Goa and that he had invited her to stay at the hotel. Mr Shoda, who said he had been out with friends at the time, added: "She was an amazing person. She understood everything, we shared our problems, everything."

His father GM Shoda said he was woken by a commotion at 2.30am and sent his other son Irfan to investigate, who found Miss Groves dead.

Tributes have been paid to Ms Groves, who was from Guernsey, on Twitter. @Rouxelfc said: "Our world is cruel. Sarahgroves was one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My life has been touched at the cost of urs." While @SarahGuernsey3h wrote: "Truly pure innocent beautiful girl. Can't believe how evil some people are R.I.P SarahGroves xxxx."

People have also taken to Facebook to post messages on a page set up to pay tributes to Ms Groves. Underneath a photograph of her smiling, Charlene Carter said: "That beautiful smile I will never forget," while Donna Stacey said: "Waste of a beautiful life just goes to show the world we live in."

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