Two Irishmen could face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty of the murder of a British backpacker in northern India.
Mr Adrian Breathnach (40), from Tipperary, and Mr Frank James (46), from south Dublin, were charged at the weekend with the murder of Ms Anna Bartlett (25), on October 2nd.
Her body was found near a river in the Himalayan hill town of Manali, 300 miles north of the capital, New Delhi.
However, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Irish embassy in New Delhi had not yet received confirmation that the men had been charged.
The men had contacted the Irish embassy for assistance early last week and later voluntarily returned to Manali to help police with their investigations.
Yesterday, Supt Anand Pratap Singh said the two men had also been charged with concealing evidence in getting rid of Ms Bartlett's body. Ms Bartlett, from Southend in Essex, had been released four months ago from an Arab jail for drug smuggling.
Police said Ms Bartlett was last seen alive in local bar with the two Irish men, drinking heavily and smoking hashish before all three left late in the evening.
Her body, which had sustained head injuries, was recovered a day later.
It is understood that Mr Breathnach had been living in India for some time while Mr James was a regular visitor to the country and was due to return home later this month.
The Sunday Times quoted Mr James's father, Patrick, as saying the family was shocked and that they were doing what they could to help him. His lawyers were trying to get him back to Ireland.