The investigation into the murders of two Russian women in Goa has left police baffled by claims of a third killing. Suspect Alexei Leonov reportedly confessed to murdering three women, including two Russians and one Indian. Authorities are now probing the suspicious death of a woman from Assam.
Goa police are investigating the murders of two Russian women, Elena Kasthanova (37) and Elena Vaneeva (37), who were recently killed in the state. Suspect Alexei Leonov, a fire display performer, told police he murdered three women in the past week—two Russian nationals and one Indian woman. Leonov arrived in India in 2023 and met Kasthanova in Delhi earlier this year.
Kasthanova, who worked as a go-go dancer and wedding usher in Goa, arrived on December 24. She was found dead at 9:15 pm on Thursday in her rented accommodation in Arambol, hands tied behind her back and neck slit. The FIR states Leonov assaulted her, bound her with rope, and slit her neck with a sharp-edged weapon.
Vaneeva, a bubble performer and artist, came to Goa last week and met Leonov. She was killed sometime after 11 pm on Wednesday night in Morjim, found dead in the bathroom with her neck slit by a sharp knife and multiple injuries.
Leonov claimed he was in relationships with both women and living with them, though police are skeptical. An investigator noted, "There are inconsistencies in his statements. He claimed during questioning once that he had killed more women, but couldn’t substantiate it." The motive for Kasthanova's killing was allegedly suspicion of an affair, while Vaneeva's stemmed from a monetary dispute.
The third killing claim links to the January 14 'unnatural death' of a 40-year-old woman from Assam, whom Leonov said he killed with a wooden stick after drugging her. The police statement mentioned only the two Russian murders, citing a monetary dispute as motive. The weapon has been recovered, the embassy informed, and post-mortems await approval. Leonov was remanded to 14 days' police custody.
