Pics by Kalakruti
Daijiworld Media Network Goa

PANAJI, Mar 13: Claiming to have cracked the case of murder of British teenager Scarlette Eden Keeling, the Goa police on Thursday said the 15-year-old died due to "drug overdose and drowning" after a man allegedly gave her narcotics, raped her and left her on the beach.

"A prime suspect Placido Carvalho, who was arrested last night, has confirmed that he gave her drugs, raped her and left her on the beach. As the girl remained unconscious, she died during the high tide," a senior police officer and in-charge of the investigations said on Thursday morning.

The half-clad body of Scarlette was found on Goa's popular Anjuna beach on February 18. Police have arrested two persons, Carvalho and Samson D'souza, both of whom have allegedly confessed to raping the 15-year-old few hours before she was found dead on the beach, he said, adding that Carvalho has been booked on murder charge.

Thorough interrogation, which continued throughout last night, confirmed that the girl had consumed high doses of cocaine and alcohol when she entered the beach shack during wee hours on the fateful day and was then given ecstasy tablets by Carvalho, police said.

He then allegedly raped the girl who was in a semi-conscious state and left her on the beach, he said.

Prior to that, Samson D'souza, 29, a barman working on the shack, was seen in a "compromising position" with the girl by an eye witness.

After Scarlette was found dead on the Anjuna beach, her family had contended that she was raped and murdered.

Initially reluctant to treat it as a murder case, Goa police carried out a detailed probe after a second autopsy was conducted by a team of doctors here following a demand by the girl's mother Fiona Mackeown.

Meanwhile, Scarlette's family members on Thursday expressed happiness over the probe, while insisting that the state should continue to unearth the "criminal-police-politician nexus" flourishing in the tourist hot spot.

"We are happy, police have conducted the investigation properly. But the entire incident is due to the nexus between criminals, police and politicians, which should be unearthed," Vikram Varma, lawyer for Scarlette's family, said.

Varma, who represents the family in their fight for "justice to Scarlette", said the arrests have been made in the right direction.

However, the family members felt that police have done only half their job.

"Scarlette's death investigation was just a part of the entire case, other half is police complicity in trying to hide the crime. Entire episode of abatement of crime by police needs to be investigated," he said.

"Goa police needs to acknowledge that there is a nexus, otherwise similar crimes would continue to happen in the state. We don't want another Scarlette case to occur here," Varma added.