Mother of Irish woman raped and murdered in India blasts murderer for rioting in prison

The mother of murdered Irish woman Danielle McLaughlin has harshly criticized her alleged rapist and murderer after claims he tried to spark a prison riot in India.

Danielle, 28, from Buncrana, Co Donegal, was found dead in the countryside at a remote location popular with holidaymakers on March 14, 2017.

The night before she was found dead, Danielle had attended a Holi party near Canacona Beach in south Goa.

READ MORE: ‘It’s not over yet’ – Fears of rising deaths from gang wars in Dublin as violence rises
READ MORE: Gardai are launching an investigation after a man died when a car went into the water at Donegal pier

Local man Vikat Bhagat has been charged with the rape and murder of Danielle. He has been in custody since 2017 and his trial has been ongoing for over six and a half years, making it one of the longest murder trials in the world.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, murder, robbery with violence and destruction of evidence.

When Colvale Prison Superintendent Shankar Gaonkar and his staff shifted Bhagat to another part of the prison last Friday, he allegedly called other inmates and tried to block a gate.

He is also said to have threatened Supt Gaonkar. After an investigation, Bhagat was booked for threatening and obstructing Gaonkar.

Now Danielle’s heartbroken mother Andrea Brannigan has slammed Bhagat, saying this latest alleged behavior “shows his true self”.

The murder trial is expected to conclude in early July and Andrea and Danielle’s sister Joleen plan to travel to India for the final phase of the case to see where Danielle spent her final days.

Danielle’s best friend Louise started a GoFundMe called “Danielle McLaughlin Test Travel Expenses” to raise the funds needed for Andrea and Joleen to travel to India.

In a previous interview with this newspaper, Andrea said the last time she spoke to Danielle was via text message at 11:30 a.m. on March 13, 2017, when Danielle told her she was “with my friend Vikat” and others Friends.

Her message added: “It’s a holiday and a crazy day in India. However, it is safe. I’m nowhere near the crowds.”

Join the Irish Mirror breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to get breaking news and breaking headlines straight to your phone. We also provide our community members with special offers, promotions and advertising from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always stop by. If you are curious, you can read ours Data protection.