 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Nearly four months after her body was found, investigation into the case has been taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the high-profile Scarlett Keeling murder case.
The CBI registered a case into the murder of the British teenager following a request for the same by the Goa government in May only, official sources said.
"We have re-registered the initial FIR done in Goa and investigations are currently on," said a CBI official.
Scarlett's semi-naked body was found on the tourist favourite Anjuna beach on February 18. Though the police had initially termed it a case of drowning, it was later forced to register a case of murder and rape after the victim's mother Fiona MacKeown alleged foul play.
Though the initial autopsy report said the cause of death was drowning, the body had numerous bruises which led to the suspicion of her being raped.
A second autopsy performed at Fiona's insistence led to the arrest of a local bartender Samson D'Souza and an alleged drug peddler Placido Carvalho.
While Samson is charged with drugging, raping and killing the girl, Placido has been accused of drugging and conspiring with Samson in the murder.
The police probe had come in for much criticism leading to the sacking of Inspector Nerlon Albuquerque, who was heading the investigation, by the state government.
The family of Scarlett had demanded a CBI investigation into the case, alleging the local police was trying to save a 'very powerful person'.