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National

Key witness shows up before Goa police

Special Correspondent

British national corroborates other witnesses, but is silent on drugs

PANAJI: The investigations into the alleged rape and murder of British teenager Scarlette Keeling got a boost on Monday with the deposition by a British national, considered a key witness, before the police.

Michael A. Manyon alias Masala (35) appeared at north Goa’s Porvorim police station in the afternoon. In his deposition, which lasted well over three hours before a team led by Bosco George, SP, Mr. Manyon is understood to have corroborated the evidence given by other witnesses.

Mr. Manyon was among the few who were present in the shack beyond February 17 midnight when the teenager was walking, allegedly inebriated, on the Anjuna beach.

According to police sources, Mr. Manyon arrived in Goa on Sunday night from Mumbai, where he was staying after he fled the State, fearing for his life, three days after Scarlette’s death.

According to his earlier statements in the media, Mr. Manyon is among the witnesses who saw an accused sexually abuse Scarlette behind the shack and who told him not to mess with the girl as she was hardly 15.

The police are banking on Mr. Manyon’s testimony to ascertain the exact role of another suspect Murli Kumar, who is being interrogated.

Placido Carvalho, an alleged drug peddler, and Samson D’Souza, a barman, are already in police custody on charges of drugging and raping the girl respectively. According to the police, she eventually died due to drugs and exhaustion.

However, Mr. Manyon, in his deposition, was silent on the role of drugs in the case.

Mr. George later said Mr. Manyon stuck to his earlier account of the episode — that he saw Scarlette arriving at the shack inebriated and later D’Souza in a compromising position with her behind the shack.

Significantly, the investigations so far were held on the premise that Scarlette had taken drugs when she arrived at the shack on the Anjuna beach, that she was drugged by Carvalho, leading to an overdose of drugs, and that later she was repeatedly raped by D’Souza.

Mr. George said Mr. Manyon would continue his deposition. He was accorded full security, the SP said.

“Don’t extend visa”

The Goa government has decided to write to the Union Home Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry, asking them not to extend the visa of Fiona Mackeown, mother of Scarlette Keeling.

Unwilling to accept Goa police’s investigations into the mysterious death of her daughter, Ms. Mackeown recently accused Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik and Director General of Police B.S. Brar of nexus with a drug mafia and threatened to move court to “expose criminal-police-politician nexus responsible for cover-up of the case.”

Addressing presspersons here on Monday evening, Mr. Naik said the State government would demand that visa provisions be made stringent to ensure that history-sheeters and foreigners with a shady background did not come to Goa as tourists.

Mr. Naik accused Ms. MacKeown of “acting in an irresponsible manner” leaving her minor daughter with a local person and going to Gokarna in Karnataka and suggested that she may face inquiry before the Goa Children’s Court.

“We have our own law. We have our Children’s Act which bestows responsibility of minors on their parents and guardians. Police are examining the case,” he said.

Mr. Naik said he would write to the Centre as well as the British government giving details of Ms. Mackeown’s alleged criminal background.

He said the State was inquiring into her background and sources of income. “How can she travel with six children to India without any source of income? Why was she frequently visiting Gokarna in Karnataka? We are investigating everything,” Mr. Naik said.

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