Panaji, June 3 (IANS) The controversial death of Goa Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco's alleged paramour should be probed by an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer or by a former high court judge and not by the local police, opposition leader Manohar Parrikar demanded Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader hinted that there was a possibility that the state cadre police officers had been compromised and would not be able to effectively investigate "a serious complaint against a cabinet minister".

"The case should be handed over to a senior IPS officer, if not to a central agency. The local police will not be able to investigate this," Parrikar, a former chief minister, said.

Parrikar said Chief Minister Digambar Kamat could also agree to appoint a former high court judge to probe the death of Pacheco's "personal friend" Nadia Torrado, 28. Pacheco had Wednesday written a letter to Kamat with the same demand.

"A cabinet minister has made an official request. It should be accepted by the chief minister," Parrikar said, accusing Kamat of being "averse to probing scams and scandals committed by his ministers".

"What kind of a cabinet is this? There are drug scams, excise scams, mining scams with ministers involved. Why is there no action against any of these scams?" he asked.

The case was Wednesday transferred to the crime branch because of the suspicious nature of Nadia's death.