The mother of Scarlett keeling has urged a Briton who fled the Indian state to get in touch.
Fiona MacKeown believes that the man witnessed the rape of her daughter, Scarlett Keeling, 15.
He had apparently confided in another foreign resident of Goa, who then contacted her, but the man had since left in fear of his own life. “We urge him to come forward because this information could be vital to this case,” she said.
Her appeal came as the authorities in Goa agreed to allow a second post-mortem examination of Scarlett's body and to decide whether to open a criminal case within the next few days. Police also revealed that they had questioned an employee of a beach-front bar who they said was seen leaving the bar with Scarlett at about 4am on February 18, the last time she was seen alive.
The case has thrown a fresh spotlight on the issue of foreign women's safety in India after a series of sexual assaults on tourists, including several Britons, in the past three months. It also highlights the darker side of Goa, where palm-fringed beaches, a laid-back atmosphere and plentiful drugs have made it a favourite destination for young backpackers.
Scarlett had been staying with Julio, a 25-year-old local tour guide, while the rest of her family travelled in the state of Karnataka. The guide said he last saw Scarlett at 8.30pm on February 18 when he drove her to a restaurant to meet a Spanish friend called Ruby. Witnesses say that Scarlett and Ruby went out and returned drunk to the restaurant at 1am. Scarlett then left alone, they say.
Police said that Scarlett was seen arriving at Lui's, one of about two dozen beach “shacks” that line Anjuna beach, at about 4am, and leaving with one of the barmen soon afterwards. Locals found her half-naked body at about 6.30am close to the bar. Her shorts and underpants had been removed and her bra-top pushed up around her neck.
Police sources declined to say if either Lui, the owner, or Samson Da Souza, another employee, was the man seen leaving with Scarlett.
