Russian woman, 37, found dead in north Goa room; her hands tied, throat slit: Police

The suspect, identified as Aleksei Leonov, 37, was traced and arrested at 4 am, hours after the body of Elena Kasthanova, 37, was found on Thursday evening

Published on: Jan 16, 2026, 19:45:52 IST

By Gerard de Souza

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PANAJI: A 37-year-old Russian national has been arrested for the murder of his live-in partner at their rented room in north Goa’s Arambol area, police said on Friday.

Police said the body was spotted by their landlord. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The suspect, identified by the police as Aleksei Leonov, 37, was traced and arrested at 4 am on Friday, hours after the body of Elena Kasthanova, a 37-year-old Russian national, was found on Thursday evening.

Police said the two appeared to have been in a live-in relationship since 2024, when Kasthanova came to Goa.

Police said their landlord Uttam Naik found Kasthanova’s body, her hands tied and throat slit, at about 9:15 pm on Thursday.

“The accused assaulted his friend who he was staying with and restrained her, caused her multiple injuries and slit her throat with a sharp weapon,” a police official said.

Police have registered a case under sections 103 (murder) and sections 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Leonov.

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