‘Goa police purposely destroying evidence’

Scarlett's mother claims the Goa police dismantled the shack where her daughter was raped, to hamper the CBI investigations, reports Barney Henderson.

Scarlett Keeling’s body will be flown back to Britain on Monday, but her mother Fiona MacKeown has vowed to return to Goa in three weeks’ time and has made fresh accusations that police are purposefully destroying evidence.

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In the past week, the bar where Keeling was raped and murdered has been dismantled despite the fact that the Central Bureau of Investigation may be called in the next two days to probe the case.

Lui’s Bar in Anjuna is the first shack to be dismantled on the beach and MacKeown claims it is a clear attempt to destroy evidence and hamper future investigations.

“It seems ludicrous that Lui’s Bar has been allowed to be taken away – if the CBI come in, they will not be able to re-enact the crime and it seems like yet another attempt by the police to sweep things under the carpet,” MacKeown said.

Kishan Kumar, Inspector General of Goa Police maintained that their investigation of the case is complete and that there is nothing untoward in the overnight disappearance of the crime scene.

MacKeown will seek further forensic tests on Keeling’s body in the UK, for her own “peace of mind”. Scarlett’s mother claimed Keeling’s head was forced into the sand, whereas the police claimed she was drugged and drowned in shallow water. “I would request the Scotland Yard to intervene in the case,” she said. However, any forensic evidence from the UK would not be admissible in an Indian court.

MacKeown will also make plans for Keeling’s funeral. “I am looking forward to finally getting back, being with my children again and planning a funeral for Scarlett,” she said.

Meanwhile, a National Commission for Women team, which was in Goa on Sunday, claimed the police investigations were “totally misleading”. In a press conference, Commission member Nirmala Venkatesha said: “Police are trying to hide the facts of the case and close it. We will never allow this to happen.”

“She (Keeling) was raped by four to five persons by gagging her mouth. There are nail marks on the body, which indicate that more than one person was involved in sexually assaulting her,” she said.