Three mothers and one sister have signed off on the sharpest ever indictment of the Goa government and police agencies by not just highlighting the delay and denial of justice but also alleged the presence of a nexus between alleged killers, policemen and politicians. This charge isn’t new but has got significantly reinforced.
Goa made it to the international media recently following a rape and murder of 28-year old Irish national Danielle McLaughlin in March this year at Canacona by a local history sheeter.
Ten families, including the mother of Scarlett Keeling, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have demanded a commission led by Supreme Court judge to analyse the investigation into the suspicious deaths of 10 foreign tourists who died in mysterious circumstances in Goa since 2005.
“We fervently request a commission led by Supreme Court Judge to analyse the investigations of the deaths of Caitanya Holt, Felix Dahl, James Durkin, Kyle Arndt, Scarlett Keeling, Denyse Sweeney, Stephen Bennett, Martin Neighbour, Michael Harvey and Jonathan Burbank to ensure a proper, unbiased and comprehensive investigation to reveal the truth about their deaths,” the letter reads.
In the letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the families have identified themselves as kin of tourists murdered in Goa since 2005 and accused the police for shoddy investigation.
Cases mentioned in the letter to PMO (Following are the details collected from the family members of all the deceased)
Case 1
Scarlett Keeling, 15 years, from UK
Died February 17, 2008, in Anjuna, Goa
In the infamous case of Scarlett Keeling British teen, who was allegedly raped and murdered at Anjuna beach the accused were acquitted by Children’s Court last year. However, the mother of victim who believes in Indian judiciary has appeal the acquittal in the higher court.
Scarlett was found dead in Anjuna on February 18, 2008 whereas the trial had commenced in the court in 2010 whereas the case acquitted after six years of trial in the Children’s Court.
Goa Police initially registered the case as unnatural death due to drowning, but the second autopsy which was demanded by Scarlett’s mother finally revealed the truth.
The Goa government then in the Congress hands transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation after finding loopholes in the Police investigation.
Case 2
Felix Dahl, 22 years, from Finland
Died January 28, 2015, in Patnem, Goa
Felix Dahl stayed in Agonda but was brought to Patnem by a local man and later found dead on the street with injury on his skull. Police in Goa claimed that Felix stumbled on the street on his own and hit his head, but his family still thinks that the local police are not seriously investigating his death.
The family of the deceased Felix Dahl had to approach the court to direct Police to register the death as a murder.
Judicial magistrate first class (JMFC), Canacona, had directed the Goa police to register Dahl’s death as a murder in October 2016 when he was found dead in suspicious circumstances on January 28, 2015, near Patnem beach in Canacona.
Case 3
James (Jimmy) Durkin,
34 years, from UK
Died on February 15, 2015, in Canacona.
James (Jimmy) Durkin disappeared from Palolem after collapsing and having visited a hospital. According to information from the police, he was fetched by the police from the hospital and left on the street in Colomb. He was never seen alive after that, his family claimed. All his belongings, including passport and money were found in his hotel room in Palolem. His severely mutilated body was found on the beach in Agonda few weeks after he disappeared. His death is registered as drowning but the family claims that the condition of the body excludes a simple drowning and suggests he was murdered.
He disappeared 16 days after Felix Dahl was found dead in the same area. Family has alleged that these two deaths may be linked.
Case 4
Kyle Arndt, 25 years, from Canada
Died on December 25, 2013, in Arambol, Goa
According to family members, Kyle was an adventurous and sporty young man who had visited 32 countries when he came to Goa and Arambol to attend a music festival. He shared a room with an European friend. They came back to the hotel after the festival and went to bed. In the morning Kyle was dead and his friend showed signs of serious poisoning.
Kyle’s family has not obtained any autopsy documents and does not know if any toxicological samples were analysed or even taken. They suspect that Kyle’s and his friend’s room was treated with an overdose of insecticides or their drinks spiked.
Case 5
Denyse Sweeney,
34 years, from UK
Died in April 16, 2010, in Anjuna.
Denyse Sweeney was found unconscious in a night club on April 16, 2010.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after six years, in September 2016 has filed a closure report in the court as no evidence of assault or homicide has been found.
Sweeney, a charity worker, was found unconscious at a nightclub at Vagator and died during treatment at a private hospital. The medical reports had stated that she had most likely died due to drug overdose. After intense pressure from the British family, the Anjuna police had re-opened the case in 2012 and treated her death as murder and transferred the case to the CBI.
Her family claims that the local persons who accompanied Denyse before and during her death, and according to some statements, some people who were harassing her have not been identified and questioned. Her family feels that her death was not properly investigated to find out what happened to her and who caused her injuries.
Case 6
Martin Neighbour, 39 years, from UK
Died on March 18, 2010, in Arambol.
Martin Neighbour was found dead on Arambol beach in February 2008 in a case that was classified as a drowning incident. His sister told in an inquest in London, her brother “looked like he had been beaten up”. Before his death, he had won about 800 British pounds in a card game with the locals, and was found dead in the sea with a bump on his head and with half of his clothes on, including shoes.
His family has claimed the death as murder and informed that the large sum of money he won was never found. His family is convinced that he was murdered to steal his money.
Case 7
Michael Harvey,
34 years, from UK
Died on March 1, 2010, in Ashwem.
Michael Harvey was an amateur photographer who was found dead in a beach guesthouse in Ashwem Beach. In an autopsy it was found out that Michael died of fluid retention in his brain and lungs but the cause of his death was not identified.
His family struggled for five years to get the results from the toxicological tests from Goa, but when finally they did, they were inconclusive. Family members have now said that there were wounds, either from an accident or most likely an assault that happened before his death, and many of his things were stolen, among them all his films and his phone. His family feels that the incidents leading to his death as well as the cause of his death have not been properly investigated.
Case 8
Caitanya Holt, 30 years, from USA
Died on January 12, 2016, in Korgaon-Pernem.
Caitanya, a former soldier in US Air force, was attacked by Nigerians while on a holiday in Goa. His family claims that he tried to make a frantic escape and was trying to flag down a vehicle or grab a scooter to escape his attackers, but was chased down to a paddy field where he was beaten up by a lynch mob containing villagers and local police.
But according to police report, ‘Inhalation of mud’ led to the death after he fell down in a paddy field while being chased by villagers upon suspicions of being a thief.
Case 9
Stephen Bennett,
40 years, from UK
According to family Stephen was abducted from his hotel 2006 by Goan police during the second day of his first trip to Goa. He was intimidated, drugged and transported to Maharashtra, but he survived and tried to escape. He phoned home, telling that his life is in danger and said farewell to his family and children, his family stated. He was again captured by the criminals, killed and three days later hanged on a Mango tree.
Initially the local police stated he committed suicide, later locals were accused for killing him but they were released, subsequently the case was collapsed in the court.
Case 10
Jonathan Ray Burbank,
27 years, from USA
Died on May 28, 2005, in Anjuna, Goa.
Jonathan Ray Burbank was a young, fit yoga teacher who was with a Pakistani female friend in Tito’s bar, where he collapsed and was taken up to his hotel room. Later medical help was called but his life could not be saved. The reason of the death has been reported to be heart failure leading to pulmonary oedema. Both possibly just a consequence of death and do not say anything about the cause of the death.
Now, the family members have said that when his body arrived to USA, it showed signs of struggle as if he had been beaten before his death. Furthermore, all his internal organs had been removed, which made it difficult to make a new autopsy. His family is sure he was murdered by poisoning at the restaurant, which has not been investigated by the police in Goa.
