Sends letter to Kerala CM detailing glaring lapses in investigation, requesting CBI intervention in the case
The boat that was tied close to where the Latvian woman's body was found
Seven weeks after the remains of the missing Latvian woman murdered in Kerala were found, her partner, an Irish national, has raised serious concerns about the manner in which the Kerala police investigated the death and subsequently arrested two people. The partner (who cannot be named for legal reasons) had personally visited the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram and handed over a letter (a copy of which is with this paper) detailing his concerns.
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Speaking to mid-day from Goa, he said, "I have petitioned the chief minister of Kerala to request an independent CBI investigation in this case. The most damning evidence that a cover-up is being attempted is the eagerness with which the authorities cremated my partner's body. The family was pressurised into this highly irregular destruction of evidence, despite my pleas, and a court order to preserve the body." He added, "Also, the post mortem report omits time of death, unexplained injuries, and 10 missing teeth, which it states, fell out ante-mortem. Why were they not recovered from the scene?"
He said another glaring inconsistency was the allegation that his partner followed the men into the mangrove swamp because they offered her cannabis. "They also allege that she spent the day with them, smoking herself into a stupor. This story is outrageously unbelievable, as anyone who knew her can attest that she was extremely opposed to the use of drugs. Indeed the authorities are clearly attempting to paint a picture of my girlfriend as a woman of loose morals who regularly took drugs, in order to insinuate that it was her fault she was murdered. This strategy is deplorable and indicative of the lengths corrupt officials will go to in an attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility," he said.
He added that there is overwhelming evidence to indicate that his girlfriend was kept alive in captivity for several days. "This fact is extremely damaging to the police, as they refused our pleas to investigate her disappearance as suspicious, and even after promises from the Director General of Police on the ninth day, that a special team would be formed to search, they failed to look at the most obvious location, an isolated drug den just a few kilometers from where she was last seen."
He said, "All these suspicious clues make for an extremely damaging case against the government of Kerala. They have my girlfriend's blood on their hands. I am currently attending the trial of Danielle McLoughlin's killer in Goa. Her family has had to endure the same inhumane treatment at the hands of authorities here. There have been hundreds of cases of tourists being murdered here, only for police to sweep them under the rug claiming suicide or accidental death. This injustice must be stopped."
He added, "If I do not get a response, I will approach the Kerala High Court seeking stringent action against the police officers probing the case, and also demand a CBI probe." A senior police officer from the probe team, who did not wish to be named, said, "We have evidence to prove our case and will present the same in court rather than reply to any allegations."
Also Read: Latvian Woman Murder: Cops Crack The Case; 2 Youths Held Are Repeat Offenders
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