Scarlette was raped twice and left to drown: Cops

New Delhi: Goa Police claim to have solved the controversial Scarlette Keeling rape and murder case with the arrest of a second suspect on Wednesday night.

Sources have told CNN-IBN that the second man arrested in connection with the case, Placido Carvalho, alias Shanuboy, has been charged with Scarlette's rape and murder.

The police claim Carvalho gave Scarlette an overdose of drugs and then raped her. Police say she was raped twice before being left to drown.

Senior police officials have reportedly admitted to some policemen trying to protect Carvalho after the murder. Strict action would be taken against the erring policemen, officials have said. Anjuna PSI Nerlon Albuquerque has been suspended.

Carvalho was arrested on Wednesday night following two days of interrogation.

His anticipatory bail plea had been earlier rejected by district and sessions court.

Carvalho's arrest comes 48 hours after a 29-year-old bartender, Samson D'Souza, was arrested in connection with the case after a 'witness' was reported by the British media as having seen Samson with Scarlette hours before her body was found.

15-year-old Scarlette's semi-nude body was found on Anjuna beach on February 18. Initial police reports had declared it death by drowning.

Meanwhile, Scarlette's mother Fiona McKeown has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying there's been a cover up in the case.

CNN-IBN spoke to Fiona Mackeown earlier. She says arresting Carvalho is not enough and wants an independent enquiry.

“I’m not satisfied. I believe it is an extension of the original cover-up. The police have made no contact with us whatsoever. I don't know what their next step is, I don't even know what's happened as far as the case being solved is concerned, apart from a few details that the press told us,” Fiona said.

“I still think the police are covering this up. I want an outside investigation and I'm still appealing to the media and the government of India to investigate this matter properly. I'm still appealing to the government to bring in an outside investigation. There's still a lot of investigation about this, it isn't by far over yet,” she added.

CNN-IBN spoke to Fiona’s lawyer, Vikram Verma, as well. He says his client claims the real culprits are still at large.

"What I understand from Fiona is that that her daughter has been a victim of a nexus between powerful criminals and some officers of Goa Police. The arrest of two petty criminals is not the completion of the investigation. She does not have the resources and the power to find out the bigger names,” Varma said.

“It’s very clear that the officers who had gone to the media and repeatedly claimed this to be a case of drowning were the people who had tried to cover up the crime. Police haven't been in touch with her right from the beginning. There hasn't been a single letter of sympathy. The officers involved must be brought to justice," he added.

Goa Police sources say the case was speedily cracked only because the senior officials were closely monitoring the case.

Goa IGP and SP were present at the police station on Wednesday night when the arrest was made.

A press conference is also likely to be held later during the day. However there are indications that action against erring police officials would be taken before the presser so that their names can be revealed during the conference.

Scarlett's death has snowballed into a major controversy with questions being raised on the safety of tourists in Goa, which rolls out red carpet to 24 lakh tourists, including 4 lakh foreigners, every year.

Goa police had initially insisted that Scarlette's death was accidental but filed a murder case after a second autopsy report on her body which recommended that the police should investigate the death as a homicide.