Mother praises Indian police move

Scarlett's mother intends to bury her near Bideford in North Devon

The mother of murdered teenager Scarlett Keeling has welcomed reports the investigation may be transferred to India's top federal detective agency.

A senior police officer has said the Central Bureau of Investigation had been asked to take over to prove the Goa police had nothing to hide.

Scarlett's mother, Fiona MacKeown, has previously criticised the Goa police's handling of the case.

She says she now feels "pretty confident" justice will be achieved.

A third post-mortem on the teenager's body, which was flown back to the UK on Monday, is due to take place in Devon.

Kishan Kumar, the senior Goa Police officer leading the investigation into Scarlett's murder, told BBC News it was almost complete.

Our investigation is on the right track and we have nothing to hide Kishan Kumar, Goa Police

He said: "To keep the Goa Police clear and say that we have nothing to hide, we have recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation [CBI] take over the probe.

"I had admitted to initial lapses in investigation, and we have suspended one policeman already. But now our investigation is on the right track and we have nothing to hide."

A spokesman for the CBI said it had not yet received a request from Goa's state government.

'Discover the truth'

Ms MacKeown has alleged police officials have covered up evidence over her daughter's death to protect the tourism trade and drug dealers.

She said she is confident she will discover what happened to her daughter once the CBI becomes involved.

"The outside investigation bureau will come in and they're not afraid of investigating the police," she said.

"The right people are doing it, there will be no more lying or bending of the truth."

Ms MacKeown described the situation as "a nightmare, so surreal."

Fiona McKeown says her family talk about Scarlett 'all the time'

She flew back from India with Scarlett's body on Monday. She says she wants to bury her on her land near Bideford, North Devon.

"It was hard getting on the plane without Scarlett being alive with us, but it was nice to get home and see the other kids," she said.

"There are photos of Scarlett everywhere which we look at a lot and the little ones write Scarlett letters which they want to be buried with her."

The other children are back at school where friends have formed a band and written a song about Scarlett, she added.

'Evidence destroyed'

Devon and Cornwall Police have said they are not opening a criminal investigation into Scarlett's death.

The post-mortem examination is being held on behalf of the coroner to establish the cause of death.

After visiting Goa, India's National Commission for Women accused the local police of destroying evidence.

The beach bar where Scarlett was before she was murdered has been pulled down.

The commission also said there had been a delay in producing a medical report that could mean evidence of rape had been lost.

It also repeated the allegation that Goa's police were trying to protect someone involved in Scarlett's murder.

Murder probe

Scarlett had been staying at the resort with a friend while the rest of her family travelled further afield.

Initially, police said she had accidentally drowned but later opened a murder investigation under pressure from Ms MacKeown.

Two men have been arrested over the death of the 15-year-old, whose body was found semi-naked on Anjuna beach on 19 February.

Samson D'Souza, 28, has been charged with rape and Placido Carvalho is being questioned on suspicion of involvement in her rape and murder.

Police allege Mr Carvalho intentionally supplied ecstasy and possibly other drugs to Scarlett before she was raped.