Two accused ‘confess’ to raping British girl in Goa

Two accused ‘confess’ to raping British girl in Goa
Andrew Pereira & Preetu Nair TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Panaji:Battered by accusations of a cover-up and collusion, the Goa police on Thursday claimed they had wrested confessions of rape from two men who were last seen by witnesses with Scarlette Eden Keeling, the 15-yearold British tourist whose body was found on Anjuna Beach about three weeks ago.
The case, which has exposed the murky world of drugs and sleaze in Goa, was now solved, claimed IGP Kishen Kumar. “The prime suspect, Placido Carvalho, who was arrested on Wednesday, has confessed that he gave her drugs, raped her and left her on the beach. As the girl remained unconscious, she died during the high tide,’’ he told reporters, trying to reconstruct the final hours of Scarlett.
Another person, Samson D’Souza, also raped the girl who was tanked with alcohol and cocaine when, at 3 am, she tottered into Lui’s Cafe beach drinking shack where he was manning the bar. As the girl entered the bar, Carvalho spotted her, led her to the kitchen and pumped her with more cocaine and Ecstasy pills, Kumar said. Later that night, a witness saw Samson, 29, in a compromising position with her.
“She was in a drunken state. Some persons in the shack
warned Samson to keep away from the girl. Samson sexually assaulted the girl behind the bar and later on the beach,’’ Kumar said. “Scarlette passed out and Samson tried to revive her by splashing water. She came to for a while and fainted again. At this juncture,Samson saw somebody approaching with a torchlight. He dumped her and fled.’’
Although Samson and Carvalho have been booked for murder and rape, police are still sticking to the theory that Scarlette died of drug overdose and drowning. Pumping her with drugs, they say, demonstrated an intent to rape and murder.
Carvalho,also known as Shanu Boy, was remanded to 14 days in police custody. Three other men—Murlisagar Bolojo aka Murali, Thomas and Michael Mannion aka Masala Mike—wanted in connection with the murder and rape are still at large. Mother wants right people jailed
Panaji: Despite the police breakthrough, the mother of Scarlette Keeling who had been screaming rape and murder from the day the teenager’s body was discovered on February 18, says that the Goa police are still trying to cover up for the real culprits. “I don’t believe it. There are more people involved and police need to expose each and every one of them. For me, the case is not over yet. It has just started,’’ said the 43-year-old Fiona Mackeown. She has relented to taking her daughter’s body from the police mortuary back home to Devon in a few days.
But she is determined to return to Goa with her children to fight for justice. “I will fight for justice till the end. I want my daughter’s soul to rest in peace by ensuring that the right people go to prison.’’
The woman who has petitioned even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, complained that she was still being harassed by police. “They are refusing to give me a copy of the FIR and making me run from one police station to another. They are trying to wear me out,’’ she said.
The Goa authorities, who refused to heed her pleas for an investigation for nearly a fortnight and reacted only when media fingers pointed at them, say they are acting by the book now.
Police sub-inspector Neron Albuquerque, who was at the Anjuna police station, has been suspended, but even senior cops privately say he was just a scapegoat. Chief secretary J P Singh has promised to crack down on the drug mafia. “We are also strengthening the anti-narcotics cell and starting a drive against the sale of drugs in Goa,’’ he said. TNN
Viscera sent to Mumbai lab for toxicology test: Nearly a month after Scarlette’s death, samples of her viscera (internal organs) have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Mumbai’s Kalina. The analysis, which will find in detail if the teen was administered alcohol, poison or drugs before death, is expected to be completed in a week. While a post-mortem reveals the preliminary death cause, a detailed viscera analysis can provide more insight.

2008 Mar 14 Times of India Mumbai