Chandigarh, July 7: The parents of Hannah Foster are not likely to visit the Kohlis — whose son allegedly raped and killed the British teenager — when they are in India from Saturday.

Maninderpal Singh Kohli, a sandwich delivery driver, became the prime suspect after investigations revealed that he had been stalking 17-year-old Hannah. His parents live in Mohali, where he had fled to after the murder.

Inquiries with Hampshire police revealed that Alan Betts, the deputy superintendent from the Hampshire constabulary, who is investigating the British end of the case, would accompany Hilary and Trevor Foster to urge the people in Punjab to help nab Maninderpal. He was last seen in Chandigarh in March last year.

The trio would also interact with Punjab police officials involved in the case but meeting the Kohlis is not on their agenda.

Betts has visited India twice as part of an inquiry team to track the accused and has been in regular touch with local police officers.

“Nothing will come out of any interaction between the Fosters and the Kohlis. Maninderpal’s parents and other family members know nothing about his whereabouts. Neither do we,” a senior Punjab police officer said.

Inquiries show that while the British police are pursuing the case vigorously and believe Maninderpal is hiding in this region, Punjab police seem to have virtually washed their hands of the case.

The local police have been conducting investigations with old photographs of Maninderpal though their Hampshire counterparts continue to provide new computer prints of him.

“Punjab police have the role to locate and arrest Kohli. Hampshire police do not have any investigative authority or powers in India,” Betts replied to a query by e-mail, clarifying that the onus lay on the local police.

Since Hannah’s death, Hilary, a nurse in a cardiac unit, and Trevor, a senior auditor for a gas exploration company, have been unable to concentrate on their work.

“They know that, in time, they will have to move on.... But they also know that that time will not come until Maninderpal has been found and put on trial,” a Hampshire officer said.

Hannah, a promising student offered a place in both Cardiff and Bristol universities to study medicine, went missing yards from her home after waving goodbye to a friend at a bus stop late at night on March 14 last year.

Ten minutes later at 11 pm, she made a 999 call but was unable to speak into her mobile phone.

The Fosters have decided to come to India and appeal to the people to help trace the suspected killer of their daughter, and also to see for themselves what Punjab police are doing to track Maninderpal.

They are hoping their visit, financed by Hampshire police, would generate publicity and help achieve a breakthrough in the case. News conferences, meeting local police officers and politicians, and an independent telephone hotline — financed by Trevor’s employer, the British Gas Group — are on the agenda.