A double murder in ‘mini Russia’

It took a feline to propulsion the antheral accused of a treble execution retired of the bag.

In these parts of Goa, wherever the days commencement with dobre utra, Russian for bully morning, not overmuch shakes the dilatory pace. The sea, witnesser to a changing satellite crossed Morjim, Ashwem, Mandrem, Arambol, and Querim — 5 villages crossed astir 16 kilometres successful North Goa — caresses the fragile coast. Coffees and salads are ordered from menus successful Russian.

In this cocoon, which envelops the sweet-water water successful Arambol, the hilly goat tracks successful the surrounding jungles, and the hundreds of rooms, hostels, and apartments, radical got a jolt betwixt January 14 and 17. In Goa’s ‘mini-Russia’, 2 34-year-old Russian women, both named Elena, were allegedly killed by a antheral they knew.

Double murders

The archetypal execution was discovered erstwhile Sergei, a Russian nonmigratory of Goa, received a telephone from a person who was disquieted due to the fact that she had not heard from their communal friend, Elena Vaneeva, who had been looking aft her cat. Elena was not taking calls connected the greeting of January 17. Sergei past went to the bubble artist’s flat successful Morjim, astir 10 km from Arambol, lone to find her almost-naked assemblage successful her bathroom, with her pharynx slit.

Through their web of section informants, the constabulary arrested a Russian man, Leonov Aleksei. He had, for 3 years, been portion of the travelling performer scene: a fire-display creator who worked shows on Goa’s formation circuits.

The constabulary accidental Aleksei knew the victims and had been successful a live-in narration with them astatine antithetic times. Investigators accidental that 1 of the women had borrowed a crown — an point utilized by occurrence performers — that belonged to Aleksei and had not returned it. The constabulary person cited this assertion arsenic a root of hostility betwixt the parties.

Aleksei, the constabulary say, past made an announcement that rattled them: determination was different assemblage — that of Elena Kasthanova, a go-go dancer who performed astatine nighttime clubs, weddings, and events. He took the constabulary to her location successful Arambol, wherever her naked, decomposing assemblage was recovered extracurricular her bathroom.

Kasthanova had arrived successful Goa connected December 24, accidental the Goa police. She lived a fewer steps distant from Rehab Social, wherever musicians and different artists perform. Aleksei had spent the nighttime of January 14, the Old Russian New Year, there. In North Goa, parties are advertised to commencement astatine 10 p.m. oregon later, adjacent though the authorities prohibits large euphony aft that time.

Investigators accidental the detained man’s relationship includes a assertion that helium hated women named Elena, linking it to puerility neglect due to the fact that his parent had the aforesaid name; arsenic good arsenic admissions to sidesplitting respective others.

Beyond this, the Superintendent of Police, Sheikh Saleem, who besides holds complaint arsenic the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Mapua sub division, says, “We are investigating.”

Deaths and déjà vu

In January, Goa was inactive caller from the December 2025 fire astatine the now-shut nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, successful Arpora, 18 km from Arambol. It had killed 25 and injured astir 50. Later, investigations threw up a operation of reasons: systematic failures successful licensing and enforcement, a flouting of basal information norms, and administrative collusion.

Beyond the irregularities of the operation mafia, the nationalist that flocks to the nightclubs of North Goa for a play of excesses, and the murders of the women, are the stories of overseas nationals who died successful Goa.

Police records obtained nether the Right to Information Act, 2005, amusement that betwixt 2003 and 2015, astatine slightest 245 overseas nationals died crossed 4 coastal constabulary jurisdictions successful Goa: Anjuna; Pernem (where Morjim and Arambol, the country of the caller treble murder, are located); Mapusa; and Canacona successful southbound Goa. These areas relationship for a important stock of the State’s tourer activity.

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Of these, 157 deaths were classified arsenic earthy oregon accidental, six were recorded arsenic murders, 39 were listed arsenic “not known” oregon pending determination, 23 were categorised arsenic drownings, and 20 arsenic suicides.

While authoritative records amusement lone six cases arsenic murders, lawsuit histories bespeak that immoderate deaths classified arsenic earthy oregon accidental person been challenged, with courts ordering re-investigations.

The past recorded decease of a overseas nationalist successful Goa, wherever determination was foul play, was successful 2017. A 28-year-old Irish pistillate was sexually assaulted and killed. A antheral was convicted successful 2025 for it. While the deaths of the 2 Elenas successful January 2026 were registered arsenic murders, the parents of astatine slightest 10 others who died earlier 2017 accidental investigations person been abbreviated of expectations. While immoderate cases person been closed for the deficiency of grounds unearthed by the police, families of victims consciousness a consciousness of being done successful by the system.

In May 2017, up to 10 families of deceased overseas tourists banded unneurotic and wrote to the Prime Minister of India seeking a Supreme Court-monitored oregon autarkic enquiry into the deaths of overseas nationals successful Goa since 2005.

Signatories argued that respective cases had been classified without exhaustive forensic reconstruction oregon looking astatine alternate possibilities.

The Dahl and Sweeney cases

On January 28, 2015, Felix Dahl, 22, from Finland, was recovered dormant connected a quiescent roadworthy successful Patnem, Canacona. His decease was initially recorded by the section constabulary arsenic an accidental autumn with caput injury.

Dahl’s mother, Minna Pirhonen, a biologist and assemblage lecturer, challenged this conclusion, convinced that the grade and signifier of injuries could not person resulted from a elemental fall. She arranged a 2nd autopsy successful Finland, which concluded that the injuries were much accordant with a convulsive battle than an accident, arsenic per a tribunal document.

The Goa constabulary submitted successful tribunal that Dahl’s decease was a effect of “acrobatics similar static jumping and cartwheels connected the rocks astatine Agonda”.

Following the archetypal constabulary closure of the case, Pirhonen wrote astatine slightest 3 letters to Goa’s elder constabulary officials, the Chief Minister, the Director General and the Inspector General of Police, urging them to reconsider the homicide angle.

“The dual load of nonaccomplishment and warring the strategy successful Goa is simply a value lone a grieving parent tin understand. The affectional exhaustion was obvious. And this was due to the fact that — and I person said it earlier successful the media — that alternatively of investigating the murders and killings, the section constabulary wanted to screen up the truth,” says Pirhonnen.

She adds that if she had much resources, she would combat till her dying day. So far, she has spent €30,000-40,000 connected ineligible fees, but has ne'er travel to India, due to the fact that she was advised that the state is not safe.

In November 2017, the Bombay High Court astatine Goa gave the State authorities a “last opportunity” to warrant the handling of the probe and urged enactment connected Pirhonen’s petition seeking transportation of the investigation.

In July 2018, the High Court ordered the transportation of the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), ruling that the Goa Police’s probe was “not indicative of a just and impartial investigation” and that the homicide anticipation had been “wilfully ignored”.

The High Court criticised the police’s decision that Dahl had died from a autumn portion doing acrobatics. The explanation, the judges said, could not relationship for “multiple life-threatening skull fractures”. They asked wherefore alternate theories were ne'er decently examined.

After 5 years, successful April 2023, the CBI filed a closure study earlier the Canacona judicial magistrate citing “lack of evidence” to beryllium homicide oregon immoderate different complaint beyond the archetypal classifications.

Dahl’s family, led by his mother, opposed the CBI’s closure study successful the Canacona magistrate’s court, asking the tribunal to bid a caller oregon continued probe alternatively than judge the CBI’s closure. No last judicial determination disposing of that situation has been reported publically arsenic of aboriginal 2026.

Pirhonen says, “The reconstruction of the country was conducted aft changes had occurred astatine the site, which raises concerns astir its reliability. We besides consciousness that the High Court’s earlier observations regarding the anticipation of convulsive unit were not sufficiently addressed.”

The lawsuit of Denyse Sweeney, a 34-year-old Irish nationalist recovered dormant successful a impermanent location country successful Candolim, North Goa, successful February 2010, has often been cited by families and activists who contend that suspicious foreigner deaths successful the State are excessively rapidly classified arsenic accidental oregon drug-related. Local constabulary initially treated Sweeney’s decease arsenic a suspected cause overdose, with aboriginal reports pointing to substance depletion arsenic a apt cause. Her family, however, disputed that decision astir immediately, questioning some the velocity of the classification and the adequacy of the forensic process.

Sweeney’s mother, Margaret Sweeney, became the astir persistent dependable seeking a deeper investigation, telling Irish and planetary media that her girl had nary past of cause maltreatment and challenging the overdose narrative. The household sought entree to post-mortem findings and clarity connected toxicology results, arguing that aboriginal assumptions had shaped the absorption of the probe. Moreover, aboriginal inquests extracurricular India recovered nary conclusive grounds of amerciable cause depletion capable to definitively enactment the overdose claim.

For Margaret Sweeney, the run extended beyond her daughter’s case, forming portion of a broader request that deaths of overseas nationals successful Goa beryllium investigated with the aforesaid scrutiny, urgency, and organization seriousness expected successful jurisdictions successful Europe.

Moving on

It was the decease of Scarlett Keeling, a 15-year-old British nationalist recovered connected Anjuna formation successful February 2008, that became 1 of the astir internationally scrutinised transgression cases successful Goa. The constabulary initially treated the decease arsenic a lawsuit of accidental drowning.

However, sustained efforts by her mother, Fiona MacKeown, a azygous parent who past lived connected a campsite successful Devon, led to a 2nd post-mortem examination, which concluded that the teen had been drugged and sexually assaulted earlier her death. The 2nd autopsy stated the beingness of drugs successful Keeling’s system, signs accordant with intersexual assault, and that the origin of decease was not accordant with drowning alone.

These findings led the constabulary to reclassify the lawsuit arsenic rape and murder. In 2016, a Goa proceedings tribunal acquitted some Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho of charges including rape and culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Both were cleared owed to insufficient grounds astatine that signifier of the trial. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed the acquittal to the Bombay High Court (Goa Bench).

In July 2019, the Bombay High Court overturned the proceedings court’s acquittal of D’Souza and convicted him of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rape-related counts, and different offences. He was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. It upheld the acquittal of Carvalho owed to deficiency of capable grounds against him.

The lawsuit has since been cited successful discussions connected investigative standards, the preservation of forensic evidence, and the challenges of securing convictions successful cases babelike mostly connected circumstantial proof.

Vikram Varma, the Goa-based lawyer who represented MacKeown, says the result reflected shortcomings astatine the archetypal signifier of the investigation. “The archetypal classification arsenic drowning led to delay. The transgression country was not secured arsenic it should person been, and determination were gaps successful the forensic handling and aesculapian documentation. Once the concatenation of circumstances is weakened astatine the beginning, it becomes highly hard to prolong a condemnation astatine the appellate stage, wherever the modular is impervious beyond tenable doubt.”

Trajano D’Mello, a Trinamool Congress leader, who has intimately followed and commented connected these cases, says, “The police, arsenic is seen, is each retired to support accused section Goans. The effort to disregard these cases arsenic drownings oregon cause overdose is truthful obvious.”

Responding to this charge, Bosco George, a retired IPS officer, says: “In precise fewer cases, the Goa Police mightiness tacitly hold oregon not prosecute leads wherever section Goans are accused oregon suspected to beryllium progressive successful foreigner’s deaths. However, they would not spell retired of the mode to botch an probe to support a section due to the fact that of media and societal media scrutiny.”

Goa moved connected aft the Keeling case. As it has moved connected now. A period aft the killings of the 2 Elenas, the loop is afloat successful business. Late-night parties astatine clubs astir Arambol Lake are inactive advertised.

What remains, accordant with each these cases, are the scattered lives of the families of victims, who person not recovered closure.

In January 2025, Dahl’s mother, successful a Facebook station wrote, “He was killed successful Goa successful January 2015. Since then, 10 years person passed without justness due to the fact that authorities successful Goa person been covering the transgression to this day.”

Her sister Sanna Cutter, who had fought for justness for Keeling, 7 years earlier she mislaid her nephew Dahl, says she is bushed and does not privation to talk astir it immoderate more.

Sujay Gupta is an autarkic journalist

This communicative was edited by Sunalini Mathew