Goa cops debunk Russian’s claim of killing 19 women, say he murdered two

PANAJI: A 37-year-old Russian national, Alexei Leonov, arrested for the double murder of two Russian women, claimed to have allegedly killed 19 Russian women in Goa, Delhi and Uttarakhand. Goa inspector general of police (IGP) K R Chaurasia said that Goa police verified the claims and, except in one case where he was found to know the deceased, the rest were alive or had left the country.

Leonov, who was in India for almost three years, claimed that he was a software engineer and worked at a therapy centre at times, performed dance with a Russian group, and took up computer-related work during his stay in India.


“Leonov claimed that he was involved in the killing of 19 women to create a sensation. He has a psychological issue. After verifying we found that he was involved in only two murders and those murders are confirmed,” Chaurasia told TOI, adding that police were still verifying his claims.

Chaurasia said that the Russian had claimed that eight women were killed in Goa.

The IGP said that most were Russians who were in India, and he took their names because he knew them as they generally know their nationals who are in India.

“Out of eight women in Goa, one was found dead last month in Pernem, and police registered the case as an unnatural death. In the postmortem report, the cause of death was a drug overdose. We found a connection between Leonov and the dead person; there is evidence in the form of photos. It was brought to our notice that both met a day prior to her death. We are further investigating the case,” Chaurasia said.

In another case, the IGP said that the woman died due to a breathing problem. “An eyewitness said that she had breathing issues. While shifting her to hospital, she died on the way. We found no evidence to link Leonov with the case,” Chaurasia said.

In another three claims, the IGP said, they all had left the country, and when Goa police contacted them, they were alive. Chaurasia said that police were further investigating the case.

Goa police have formed multiple teams to verify Leonov's claims.

Goa police arrested Leonov following the murder of two women from Russia in the coastal areas of Pernem taluka. The incident came to light after authorities discovered the body of Leonov’s friend, Elena Kasthanova, 37, in their rented accommodation in Arambol.

While investigating Kasthanova’s murder, police uncovered that another Russian woman, Elina Vaneeva, was also a victim. Vaneeva was a mutual friend of Leonov and Kasthanova.


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