Briton's mystery movements probed

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Police in India have admitted they have "no idea" how a Gloucestershire man ended up in the area where he was found hanging from a tree.

Stephen Bennett, 40, from Cheltenham, was found in a village near Roha, 75 miles from Mumbai, on 11 December.

Four men have been arrested and two more are being sought, police chief Madhukar Talpade told BBC News.

Detectives believe the father-of-two was killed after villagers mistook him for a sex attacker.

He had apparently frightened a local woman by calling at her home in the early hours of the morning.

She panicked and woke up two men, claiming she had been raped, and Mr Bennett was then beaten with sticks, throttled with a sari and hanged.

His wallet, which contained more than Â£300 in cash, was found next to his body, along with his passport.

'What happened?'

Inspector General Dr Sapyapal Singh said: "There are four main questions that remain unanswered.

"This man had a ticket to arrive at Mumbai, but he alighted at Roha on the evening of 7 December.

"On 11 December his body was found in a village near Roha.

"We have no idea why he was there. We need to know what happened to him during those three days.

"Secondly, why did he get out at Roha when he had a ticket to Mumbai?

Mr Bennett was found 75 miles south-east of Mumbai in Roha

"Thirdly, who were his co-passengers? And what brought him to the village, especially to this house?"

He added that a neighbour had contradicted the account of the woman who said she had been raped.

Mr Bennett's parents, Carol and Maureen, described him as "affable, friendly and loyal".

They said he was an experienced traveller who had visited a variety of countries including Thailand, Indonesia and China.

In a statement, they added: "At the time of his death, he was taking a holiday in Goa and he made a number of phone calls to us up until 7 December.

"Following that we did not hear from him until the police contacted us on December 12 and told us of his death."