Goa Blog

Police in Goa came under pressure today to investigate whether a third Indian man, believed to have links to Bollywood and to a powerful local politician, was also involved in the rape and murder of Scarlett Keeling.

In another twist, Fiona MacKeown, Scarlett’s mother, also confirmed that she had spent a year in prison for stabbing her employer in 1982 after he tried to force himself on her 16-year-old friend and colleague.

“It’s something that happened, and I learnt a lot from it,” she told The Times, as she prepared for a scheduled telephone conversation with Renuka Chaudhury, India’s Minister for Women and Child Development. “But it has no relevance to Scarlett’s case.”

Police say that they have almost cracked the case after arresting Placido Carvalho, a local drug dealer, and Samson D’Souza, a bartender, on suspicion of plying Scarlett with drugs and then raping her and leaving her to drown in the shallows.
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Mrs MacKeown and her lawyer believe that a third man, Murli Sagar, may be the key to exposing the “nexus” of local politicians, police and drug dealers whom they accuse of covering up her the rape and murder of her 15-year-old daughter.

“The issue is that there are at least two bigger guys who are being protected,” Mrs MacKeown said. “The two they arrested just didn’t pay enough in bribes.”

Mr Sagar was in Lui’s bar on Anjuna beach in Goa when Scarlett stumbled in at about 3am on February 18, and left with her at about 5am after offering to give her a lift on his scooter, witnesses say.

Mr Sagar was then seen driving off on his scooter alone, while Mr D’Souza allegedly sexually assaulted Scarlett and was later seen standing nearby talking to somebody on his mobile telephone.

And yet police who leaked the names of every other witnesses and suspect have kept Mr Sagar’s name out of the media until Thursday when, under pressure from reporters, they admitted that they had questioned him.

Bosco George, Goa’s Superintendent of Police, told The Times that police knew where Mr Sagar was and would continue to question him, although they did not regard him as suspect at this stage.

Mrs MacKeown and many locals believe that is because Mr Sagar works at Curly’s bar, Anjuna’s top party venue and a hangout for local drug dealers, which is owned by Edwin Nunes, the head of the local council.

Mr Sagar is believed to have been working there for a couple of years after giving up a career in Bollywood, where a late relative was a successful music director, according to Anjuna residents who know him.

“He’s a good-lucking guy. He said he came here to get away from it all and live quietly,” said a foreign resident who frequents Curly’s.

“Curly’s a nice guy, but he’s clearly very successful and it’s no coincidence that only he can have the late-night parties.”

Goa banned playing music outside after 10pm in 2005 in a crackdown on all-night beach raves, but locals say that Curly’s often flouts the ban. Drugs are also sold openly in the bar, while police conduct regular searches elsewhere in Anjuna.

As head of Anjuna’s panchayat, or local council, Mr Nunes has his offices in the same building as the police.

Kishan Kumar, Goa’s Inspector General of Police, denied that Mr Sagar worked at Curly’s when asked by The Times. But immediately afterwards, Mr George said that he did.

Vikram Varma, Mrs MacKeown’s lawyer, said that Mr Sagar should be questioned further as he could provide the link to people he believes have paid off the police with as much as 1.6 million rupees (£20,000).

“He could provide clues to the nexus. He’s on the third or fourth level from the top,” he said. “Placido and Samson are just the footsoldiers, or the henchmen. They don’t have the kind of money to pay off the police.

“The guys who have hushed up the matter are powerful people.”

Courtesy: timesonline