Scarlett 'drugged, raped and left for dead', police claim
Thursday, 13 Mar 2008 14:06
Scarlett Keeling's body was found semi-naked on a Goan beach
Local police have claimed that a British teenager found dead on a beach in Goa was drugged and raped by two men before being left to drown.
A statement released today alleges that two men currently remanded in police custody drugged 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling with a cocktail of narcotics including ecstasy, cocaine and alcohol before sexually abusing her and dumping her in shallow water where she later drowned.
Earlier today, a second man appeared in court over the rape and murder of Scarlett, who was found dead on a beach in Goa, India, last month.
Placido Carvalho was arrested on Wednesday in connection with Scarlett's death.
He has been remanded in custody for 14 days after voluntarily giving himself up to police, though he has not been formally charged.
His arrest follows that of Samson D'Souza, a 28-year-old barman, who was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of rape.
Police had originally ruled Scarlett's death as accidental, claiming she had drowned after taking drugs.
However, a second post-mortem on the body revealed injuries consistent with murder and forced local police to reopen the case - leading Scarlett's mother, Fiona MacKeown, to accuse the authorities of a cover-up.
Ms MacKeown has since been told she is unlikely to face an investigation into her claims that local drug dealers, police and politicians had conspired to play down the cause of death in a bid to protect the country's tourist trade.
Scarlett had been staying with her boyfriend, a 25-year-old Goan tour guide called Julio Lobo, who lived in the resort of Anjuna.
She was last seen in February at a bar in the town before going missing. Her body was discovered on a local beach on February 19th.