Murder arrest, then a chilling confession: Russian tourist in Goa may have killed others | What we know

After being arrested for the murder of his live-in partner, the Russian tourist led the police to the body of another victim and hinted at more.

Published on: Jan 18, 2026, 14:52:22 IST

By HT News Desk

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A murder case in Goa took an unexpected turn on Saturday after a Russian tourist, the man arrested in the case, allegedly confessed to more murders during interrogation.

Earlier this week, Elena Kasthanova, 37, was found on Thursday by her landlord with her arms tied behind her back and her throat slit in a rented room in Goa's Arambol. Aleksei Leonov,37, who was also the live-in partner of the woman, was arrested on Friday for her murder.

During his interrogation, the Russian tourist led police officials to the location of the body of another woman, Elena Vaneeva, 37, in Morjim village.

Police believe that she was killed on the night of January 14. However, shortly after sharing the details of the murder of the second woman, Leonov told police he also killed a 40-year-old woman from Assam.

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“During interrogation, he said that the two women who were found dead were not the only ones he had killed. We are verifying his claims and will act based on the evidence we find,” a Goa police officer told HT.

After confessing to the murder of Elena Vaneeva, Leonov led the police to Korgao village, where he claimed to have killed another woman by drugging her.

Police are now verifying if Leonov's confession corresponds with a suspected overdose case reported on January 14 at the Pernem Community Health Centre in Goa.

However, police remain skeptical of his statements and believe that Leonov may also be under the influence of "psychotropic substances".

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HT News Desk
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