The British government will soon request its Indian counterpart to hand over the investigation into the murder of a British tourist in Maharashtra to the Central Bureau of Investigation, a Guardian report says.

After a meeting last week with his family, foreign office minister Lord Malloch-Brown has agreed to press for the inquiry into Stephen Bennett's murder to be taken over by the CBI, the report said. The family has reportedly raised fresh corruption charges against police officers who investigate the case.

Stephen's body was found hanging from a tree in Malsai village, about 130 km from Mumbai, in December 2006. H e was reportedly travelling on a train from Goa [Images] to Mumbai.   

Stephen's sister Amanda told the paper, "This is such a breakthrough. My brother was murdered, but the police seem unable to tell us how."

The government's intervention follows fresh evidence that the Maharashtra police know more than what they have admitted about the death, the report says.

Initially, the police claimed he had committed suicide, but fresh evidence painstakingly  collected by his family said the investigation relied on contradictory witness statements and timings.

The report says the intrigue over Stephen's death comes amid concern over the number of unsolved crimes concerning tourists in Goa.