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Dutchman who confessed to frenzied knife murder of beautiful British backpacker

Police in India have revealed they are investigating the boyfriend of murdered British backpacker Sarah Groves over claims he owed her £6,000 since they started going out over New Year.

It came as the Dutch tourist accused of murdering was put on remand for five more days.

Richard de Witt was led out of Srinagar Court with a towel over his head by police in the northern state of Kashmir after a short hearing today.



Jammu and Kashmir Police walk Richard de Witt, the suspect accused in the murder of Sarah Groves, out of Srinagar Court after he was handed five more days on remand in Kashmir








Richard de Wit (left), who is accused of murdering British backpacker Sarah Groves (seen right last November) in India
Last night, Srinagar's Deputy Inspector General Aftul ul Mujtada said his detectives were investigating the loans separate from the inquiry into her murder.

They suspect that Saeed Shoda and his family may have befriended Ms Groves in the southern state of Goa to dupe her into giving them money.

He has told Mr Shoda the money must be repaid to Ms Groves' family.

Ms Groves was attacked and stabbed to death in her room on the Shoda family's New Beauty houseboat hotel on Srinagar's picturesque Lake Dal in the early hours of April 5.

De Wit, was arrested for her murder and later said he had killed her under the influence of cannabis, which had aggravated his paranoid condition, police said.

The victim had been living with Saeed Shoda and his family for several months after they met and began a relationship in Goa during Christmas.


Family: Saeed Shoda said Sarah had been enjoying her time with the family. The family is now under investigation







Discovered: Police said the 24-year-old was found inside the boat on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir

Scene: The houseboat where the body of Sarah Groves was found in Srinagar

He had invited her to his home where they had shared a room and she had lived as part of the Shoda family.

Members of the Shoda family have given many interviews to newspapers and television stations voicing their grief at her death and describing her as 'like a daughter' to them.

But the disclosure that the financially comfortable family had borrowed large sums of money from Ms Groves has raised questions about the true nature of their relationship.


Location: Houseboat owner Abdul Rahim Shoda speaks on his mobile phone near the house boat where the body was found


'Wonderful girl': One of the sons of the owner of the houseboat owner described her as 'a wonderful girl' who had stayed on the boat for the last two months

Kashmiri neighbours said it was highly unusual for conservative Islamic families in Kashmir to be happy about unmarried couples sleeping together in their homes, while others noted that Ms Groves had been working hard in the family kitchen throughout her stay.

The Daily Telegraph reported today that DIG ul Mujtada said: 'The family of Sarah have expressed some misgivings about the [Shoda] family.

'Sarah had given Saeed some money. Since they were in Goa she gave him four to five lakhs (£5,000 to £6,200) and it must be paid back.'

There have been a number of cases in recent years of Kashmiri men starting relationships with foreign women to dupe them into giving them money, he added.

In 2008, Patrina Churm, a 55-year-old divorcee from Gateshead, was left penniless after her 30-year-old Kashmiri boyfriend siphoned her bank accounts and cheated her out of more than £80,000 by promising they would spend their lives together.

Months earlier another British woman, 54-year-old Sarah Matheson was also cheated out of £80,000 by a Kashmiri man she fell in love with while holidaying in Goa.

Richard De Wit, the accused, has told detectives the Shoda family had also asked to borrow money from him, but the Shoda family denied his claim.

Last night Saeed Shoda confirmed he had borrowed money from Ms Groves but denied there was an ulterior motive. She had given him 458,000 Rupees, just under £5,500.

He said: 'We had personal plans, we were in love, it's personal, what we wanted to do. Now it doesn't matter so I gave it back to her Dad. It doesn't matter because I lost someone who was everything to me.'

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