INDIAN police are investigating whether a man with "a grudge against Westerners" was behind the murder of Burnley charity worker Michael Blakey, the organisation he worked for has said.

Michael, 23, of Mayfair Road, Pike Hill, was killed in the Dharamsala region of India, while working for the charity he helped set up, Tong Len, which helps refugee families.

His body was found at the end of November buried beneath rocks in a gully near the Anglican church where he worshipped, five days after he had gone missing from a nearby monastery where he was staying.

Anna Owen, 64, who runs the British arm of the charity, said police had told her they were now looking into the possibility that a local man suspected of other attacks was behind the university graduate's death.

Anna, who returned to her Edinburgh home from India on January 1, said: "While I was out there I kept in touch with police every day so I could report back to Michael's family.

"I know one line of inquiry is the possibility that someone who was sexually abused by a white man and has a grudge against Westerners, could be responsible.

"This man was apparently often seen hanging around the monastery where Michael stayed and has been mentioned in connection with other attacks on Westerners in the area."

Mrs Owen also told of her family's relief after an investigation into son-in-law Pawan Bhardwaj was dropped.

He had initially been the prime suspect after an Michael's diary was found by officers.

In it, Michael wrote that Mr Bhardwaj had threatened to kill him because he thought he and his wife, Rachel Owen, 35, were having an affair.

But police later dropped the investigation into Mr Bhardwaj and released him without charge after holding him in custody for a fortnight.

Officers took this step after revealing that a man had been found with Michael's mobile phone and that they were looking into a possible robbery motive for the murder.