Indian police say they are seeking two Irish men in connection with the murder of a young English woman there last week.
The two men are believed to have gone on the run following the killing of 25-year-old Anna Bartlett in the northern hill station of Manali.
Ms Bartlett, who served time earlier this year in a jail in the Middle East after acting as a "drugs mule", died from massive head injuries. Her body was found near a river in the popular tourist destination last Wednesday.
A police official, Mr Kushal Sharma, told BBC News they were looking for two Irish men in connection with the investigation. Both men are reported to be in their late thirties and have been living in India for some time. Mr Sharma said: "The autopsy report has revealed injuries suggesting she was beaten up before her death."
He said she was found partially clothed with head injuries and police were not ruling out drugs as the motive of the murder.
Police have since arrested the owner of the guesthouse in which the dead woman was staying.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it had received no official confirmation of any Irish link to the crime. A spokesman said the Irish embassy had not known of the matter until contacted by the Department on Friday. Officials had sought further information from the Indian authorities, so far without success.
Ms Bartlett, a teacher's daughter from Southend in Essex, was released from prison in Dubai last June after serving 2½ years in jail.
