Police charge two in Scarlett murder case

The two suspects -- Samson D'souza and Placido Carvalho -- have been booked for murder, rape and drugging.

Facing intense criticism, Goa police on Thursday claimed to have cracked the case of myserious death of Scarlett Keeling with the arrest of a second suspect and charged two men with murder of the British teenager.

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Nearly a month after the half-clad body of Scarlett was found on Goa's popular Anjuna beach, Inspector General Kishan Kumar told a news conference that the 15-year-old girl was drugged, sexually assaulted and later dumped in the shallow beach water where she died.

The two suspects -- Samson D'souza, a barman and Placido Carvalho -- have been booked for murder, rape and drugging. Scarlett was repeatedly raped by Samson on the intervening night of February 17-18, he said, adding that Carvalho, who the police claim was the prime suspect, did not rape the girl. Carvalho was arrested on Wednesday.

Kumar alleged D'Souza was seen by a witness "raping the girl" before "he took the girl towards the beach... Then he assaulted the girl there also."

Scarlett then fainted and died of a combination of exhaustion, assault and the drugs fed to her by the two men, he said. Police had initially insisted the girl had drowned in the sea, but a second autopsy demanded by Scarlett's mother, Fiona MacKeown, prompted the murder investigation.

Reacting to Thursday's development, Fiona said she is not satisfied with police probe in the case and that it is just an extension of the "original cover up" by the police.

The IGP said Samson conspired with Carvalho to drug her and later the barman dumped her in shallow water. Although Carvalho was not present when she died, he was also charged with murder because of "common intention," Kumar said.

"A person walking on the beach holding a torch saw Samson running, but he could not see the girl," Kumar said.