Hannah police to return to India

By Hannah Bayman and Anna Lindsay
BBC News Online, Southampton

Police hunting the killer of A-level student Hannah Foster are planning a second trip to India in another attempt to capture their prime suspect.

Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, 35, fled to the Punjab four days after the 17-year-old disappeared in March after waving goodbye to a friend.

The hunt for Hannah's killer 14 March: Hannah vanishes after a night out with friends 16 March: She is found raped and strangled in undergrowth 18 March: Mr Singh flees to India from Heathrow airport 19 March: He is met by his brother in Ambala, Punjab 27 March: BBC Crimewatch viewer calls police with tip-off 28 March: Mr Singh vanishes from family home in Punjab 8 April: Indian police issue warrant for Mr Singh's arrest 11 April: Hundreds mourn at Hannah's funeral in Highfield 1 May: Hampshire police team arrives in New Delhi, India 13 May: Detectives fly home from India empty-handed

A team of three detectives from Hampshire led by Chief Superintendent Alan Betts spent a fortnight in India last month, but returned empty-handed.

Hannah's parents Trevor, 53, and Hilary, 46, have spoken of their devastation at the loss of their daughter, for which no charges have been brought more than three months after her death.

Detective Inspector Tony Adams told BBC News Online he feared Mr Singh could find it easier to evade detection in India.

He said: "The danger is that because of the distance in time and geography that the longer the hunt goes on the greater the possibility the momentum might drop in India as other cases come up.

"It is probably far easier for him to disappear and keep his head down there than it is here.

"Purely and simply a trip to India maintains the high-profile of the case.

"A face-to-face briefing is much more effective than doing things over the telephone over thousands of miles.

"If we get our suspect it is money well spent."

Maninder Singh stayed with family in India for 10 days in March

British police do not have legal powers to carry out inquiries in India, but will help detectives from the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation and local police in the Punjab with their knowledge of the case.

Detective Inspector Adams said: "We have to have confidence in the Indian police.

"They have pledged their determination to bring this man back and we have to trust them to do that."

Mr Singh spent 10 days at his mother and father's house in Mohali, near the Punjabi capital of Chandigarh, when he first arrived in India.

'Beautiful daughter'

He vanished on 28 March, the same day police raided his home in Southampton after a tip-off from a viewer of BBC Crimewatch.

The team is again expected to include Punjabi-speaking Hampshire police officer Kim Ghali.

Hannah, who hoped to be a doctor and had won places to study medicine at two universities, was a talented dancer.

Her father Trevor Foster said: "We as a family are devastated by the loss of Hannah.

"My wife and I have lost our beautiful daughter and Hannah's 14-year-old sister Sarah has lost her big sister and friend."

His wife Hilary said: "It's just knowing how frightened she must have been at some stage and we can't get beyond that."