The sister of a West London man found dead on a beach in Goa has urged Indian authorities to re-open the investigation into his death.

The body of Martin Neighbour, 39, was found on Arambol beach in the south Indian state on February 3, 2008, two weeks before the semi-naked body of British teenager Scarlet Keeling was discovered nearby.

Local police said Mr Neighbour, of Great Western Road W11, accidentally drowned in the sea after a drinking session at a beach bar.

But his sister, Sara Neighbour, suspects foul play connected to a card game a week before his death during which Mr Neighbour won £800 from several Indians.

Ms Neighbour, of Ashbridge Street, Westminster, travelled to Goa to cremate her brother, but says within hours of her arrival she uncovered a series of flaws in the police investigation.

Speaking at an inquest (November 25) at Westminster Coroners' Court, she said local police had failed to interview key witnesses, including a German tourist who found the body and Mr Neighbour's fiancee, Rosalind Sheherlis.

She also discovered severe bruises across her brother's body, something police attributed to his corpse hitting rocks on the beach.

"But there are no rocks- I went to where his body was found and it is three-and-a-half miles of golden sand," she said. "To me he looked like he had been beaten up. I believe that I will never find out the truth."

Mr Neighbour was in the middle of a three month holiday to Goa, a renowned hippy paradise popular with cheap package tours. He had visited Goa each year since 2002 and was sourcing cheap clothes and jewellery for sale on a stall he was planning to open in Portobello Road.

On the night of his death Mr Neighbour was drinking heavily at the Dream Catcher Bar, a venue he frequently visited. His fiancee left him in the early hours and returned to the beach hut they shared, on the understanding he would follow when he was finished.

After several glasses of powerful local 'Honeybee' whiskey the bar owner said he laid Mr Neighbour down in a lounger on the beach. Several hours later he was found dead in the surf.

The coroner's officer told the court that Martin and Sara Neighbour were very close, despite the fact they lived with different parents. Mr Neighbour had a troubled history but in the years leading up to his death "had turned his life around" and was engaged to be married.

A post-mortem conducted by an Indian doctor concluded he had drowned, although it noted the extensive injuries on his body. A second post-mortem was carried out once Mr Neighbour's body had been repatriated and confirmed the findings.

Adjourning the inquest until March Coroner Dr Paul Knapman said the investigation by Goan police "was less than perfect" but there was little his office could do without fresh evidence from witnesses in Goa.

Sketching out two possible scenarios he said that Mr Neighbour may have drowned after taking a drunken dip in the sea.

"The other possibility is that he got into a fight and one or two people threw him in to the sea," He added. "The only way to advance this is to find the people who were there on the night and get to the true explanation."

British holidaymakers swarm to Goa each Christmas for winter sunshine. But the issue of safety was raised in 2008 with the death of 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling, who was raped and murdered in February 18 2008.

Two weeks later Michael Harvey, 34, was found dead on his bed. British High Commission said 40 British citizens died in Goa in 2007, from natural and unnatural causes.

Speaking after the inquest Ms Neighbour, who paid for her brother's body to be repatriated, urged British holidaymakers heading to the south Indian state this Christmas to exercise caution.

"There's a problem in Goa and I think people should be made aware of it. People are going not really prepared for a difficult country. I went to Goa to cremate my brother and ended up being a policeman and trying to find out what happened. I've had no help or support from the Foreign Office or British police and have had to deal with this by myself."