Panaji: The mother of rape and murder victim Scarlett Keeling was summoned by Goa police to give evidence to investigators after she claimed she knew the identity of the killer of the British teenagar.

The summons for Fiona Mackeown was served on her lawyer Vikram Varma's address last evening but the advocate refused to accept the summons stating that she has already left for the UK, the police said.

"If she (Fiona) is in the knowledge of something she should come down and depose. We have issued summons to her under Section 39 and 160 of CRPC wherein it is a statutory duty of every person to provide evidence to the police, if they are in knowledge of it," Superintendent of Police (North) Bosco George told reporters here.

The Home Department was then moved by the police to serve the summons at Fiona's address in Davonshire, UK. Fiona, who left for the UK last Sunday, in an interview to a British newspaper had claimed that she knew the identity of the suspected killer behind the murder of her 15-year-old daughter and that he is a "powerful person" with money.

"I was approached by many people who told me this man s name. It is common knowledge out there it seems. He is a powerful person with money. It would explain a lot - why police have tried to cover it up," she was quoted as saying.

A bartender and an alleged drug dealer have already been arrested for conspiracy to murder Scarlett. The two accused had given the girl a cocktail of illegal drugs before one of them repeatedly raped her and left her for dead on Goa's popular Anjuna beach on February 18, the police said.

Michael Mannion, a prime British witness in the murder case, meanwhile decided to move the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court seeking withdrawal of the lookout circular issued against him by the Goa police.
Source : PTI