Scarlette case: Cop who probed death dismissed

Two months after British teenaged girl Scarlette Eden Keeling was found dead on a beach in Goa, the state government on Friday dismissed the policeman who initially probed her death as he was prima facie found to have sabotaged the investigations.

Sub Inspector Nerlon Albuquerque, who investitgated the death of 15-year-old Scarlette, was earlier suspended.

Prima facie Albuquerque was found to be involved in sabotaging the investigation, a senior police officer said.

The investigation in this case saw police concluding that Scarlette was drugged, raped, left to die on the beach. She was found dead on Anjuna beach on February 18.

During the initial investigation conducted by Albuquerque who was then attached to Anjuna police station, he had attributed the death due to drowning.

It was only after Fiona Mackeown, Scarlette's mother, smelt a rat in the entire case that a second autopsy was conducted on the girl's body which recommended that the death be investigated as a murder.

Post-second autopsy, police had divested Albuqueque of the probe into the case and handed it over to Inspector Braz Menezes.

The police investigation finally concluded that Scarlette was drugged, raped, left to die on the beach.

Two locals Samson D'souza and Placido Carvalho were arrested for their alleged involvement in the offence.

Scarlette's death hogged international media attention as Fiona accused the Goa government of shielding the drug trade in the state and suspected the involvement of the drug mafia in this case.

The Goa police had come under severe criticism for mishandling the probe into Scarlette's death, after which the state government decided to hand over the case to Central Bureau of Investigation.

Interestingly, Chief Minister Digamber Kamat had initially refused to hand over the case to CBI lauding the police investigation in it.

Scarlette's death had brought to light the flourishing drug trade and lack of law and order on Goa's beaches.

The state police, acting tough post-Scarlette death, had initiated a crackdown on the beach forcing the beach shacks to shut down after mid-night.