2nd autopsy says Brit was murdered in Goa

2nd autopsy says Brit was murdered in Goa
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Four persons were detained in Goa late on Saturday after a second autopsy on the body of British teenager Scarlette Eden Keeling confirmed that the 15-year-old was murdered and did not die of drowning as police had claimed.
A panel of three doctors added that though they could not confirm rape, there were strong indications of sexual violence because of injuries in the vagina. The report, which will add to the murkiness of Goa’s tourism sector, urged the sub-divisional magistrate in charge of the case to investigate Scarlette’s death as a homicide. However, the findings of the second autopsy, which came after the girl’s mother, Fiona MacKeown, mounted pressure by refusing to take Scarlette’s body from the government morgue, were not being released to the family. She is determined to file a complaint against the police for cover-up.
Two of the four detained in the case are alleged drug dealers and another is the owner of a cafe, adding fuel to the theories that Scarlette was the victim of a sex and drug ring. Ever since her barely-clad body was recovered from Anjuna beach, her mother has been alleging that multiple bruises on the corpse clearly pointed to rape and murder. But the police ignored her, saying the first autopsy had established death due to drowning. Goa minister hits out at cops
Panaji: The confirmation that Briton Scarlette Keeling was murdered has exposed the dark underbelly of Goa’s otherwise picture-postcard touristy life. According to police statistics, of the 25 people held on drug charges in ’06, 15 were foreigners. The number has risen since ’04, when the first numbers are logged.
Even as Scarlette’s second autopsy report was presented to a magistrate, the cops held on to the drowning story. “We are conducting the second autopsy because we’re not satisfied with the first,’’ IGP Kishan Kumar said. Worried that bad publicity was hurting the tourism cash cow, Goa tourism minister Francisco X Pacheco demanded strong action against Anjuna police station in charge Nerlon Albuquerque and doctors who had conducted the first autopsy. He said he had apprehended the dubious role of police as it was the same officer and doctors who were involved in the case of an autopsy done on a Goan seaman, Floriono Diniz, who was said to have ended his life. But murder was established after 97 injuries were found on his body.

Doctors say Scarlette Keeling was sexually assaulted as well

2008 Mar 09 Times Of India Mumbai