Serial killings? Russian man arrested for murder of 2 women from his country in Goa, police verify claims of more murders
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Serial killings? Russian man arrested for murder of 2 women from his country in Goa, police verify claims of more murders")
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During questioning, Leonov reportedly disclosed that he had killed a Russian woman last month. Acting on this information, police traced the body of a foreign national whose death had been registered as “unnatural” in December 2025.
A Russian man has been arrested for reportedly murdering two women from his country in Goa. He was already accused of killing two other Russian women, according to a report by the Indian Express. The arrested individual, identified as Alexei Leonov, appears to have “psychopathic” tendencies, police confirmed.
The murder was claimed by Leonov in front of the police. However, investigators familiar with the inquiry said his claims need to be cross-checked as they appear “sketchy and inconsistent”. In response, police are currently looking into whether he is connected to as many as five deaths in the coastal state.
“He claimed that he used to befriend foreign nationals, usually fellow Russians. The modus operandi in the killings, as per his disclosures, is either slitting the throat or suffocating the victims,” the investigator said.
Two victims have been formally identified as 37-year-old Elena Kasthanova and 37-year-old Elena Vaneeva. In another case involving a 40-year-old woman from Assam—initially recorded as an “unnatural death” on January 14—police said circumstantial evidence and statements point towards Leonov’s involvement, though the exact cause of death will only be confirmed after a postmortem. Sources said Leonov told investigators that he had drugged the woman and killed her using a wooden stick.
Leonov discloses his murder amid questioning
During further questioning, Leonov reportedly disclosed that he had killed a Russian woman last month. Acting on this information, police traced the body of a foreign national whose death had been registered as “unnatural” in December 2025. However, officials said a detailed investigation and autopsy are needed to determine whether it was a murder and if Leonov was responsible.
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Requesting anonymity, a senior police officer said, “We cannot take all his statements at face value. Just because he was known to someone, and that person ended up dead, does not necessarily establish that he killed her.” Leonov has also allegedly claimed to have killed another Russian national recently, though police have not yet recovered a body corresponding to this assertion.
In an official statement issued on Saturday, police said the accused confessed to his role in the murders of Elena Kasthanova and Elena Vaneeva. Authorities stated that Leonov was a close associate of both women and that the alleged motive was a financial dispute. He also claimed to have been in a relationship with both victims and living with them, though police said these assertions are being treated with caution.
Describing the motives behind the alleged killings, an investigator told the Indian Express, “While a monetary dispute may have been the trigger for the murder cases that have been confirmed, he seems to have developed obsessive relations with the two, leading him to the crimes, as per his disclosures.”
Kasthanova was employed as a go-go dancer and usher at weddings and arrived in Goa from Russia on December 24. Later, she was found murdered at 9.15 pm on Thursday at her rented house in Arambol. Based on the input of the FIR, Leonov reportedly assaulted Kasthanova and tied her hands behind her back with a rope and then he allegedly slit her neck using a sharp-edged weapon.
Additionally, Vaneeva was an artist and a bubble performer who arrived in Goa last week and got acquainted with Leonov. On Wednesday night, Leonov allegedly killed Vaneeva sometime after 11 pm by “slitting her neck with a sharp knife”. Following the murder, the police took the accused to 14-day police custody on Saturday. Currently, police are questioning him to ascertain if he has murdered more people.
