Goa police say may investigate past tourist deaths

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Goa police, investigating the rape and murder of a British teenager, said on Friday they were willing to reopen past cases of suspicious deaths if they received fresh requests.

Police said a bartender raped and drugged Scarlett Keeling, 15, and left her to die in shallow sea waters on Feb. 18. But her mother Fiona MacKeown has said her daughter was assaulted for resisting rape and then murdered.

At least 126 foreign nationals have died in Goa in the past two years, 40 of them British, according to Kishan Kumar, said the Inspector general of police in Goa.

Some officers, who have spoken on condition of anonymity, say that 10-12 deaths passed off as drowning since last year looked suspicious.

"Once I get a complaint we will reopen investigations and if the case is strong and properly substantiated we will certainly look into it with interest," Kumar said.

Indian authorities had originally said Keeling's death was an accident, but later arrested two people after a second autopsy revealed she could have been killed.

Investigations revealed the original investigating officer of the case had deliberately covered up the case and he was later suspended.

The Indian media and lawyers have criticised police for failing in the past to properly investigate murder cases.

MacKeown said many past deaths have not been properly investigated. "Many cases have been hushed up, lot of people supporting us have said they lost their loved ones over here which was passed as accidents, or suicide or drug overdose," she said.