A Russian national has been arrested in North Goa for allegedly killing two women, both Russian citizens, in separate incidents following disputes, police said on Friday.
The accused, 37-year-old Alexey (Aleksei) Leonov, allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Elena Kastanova (37), by slitting her throat at a rented house in Arambol on Thursday night. Police said the couple had an argument at the house where they were living.
According to investigators, Leonov tied Kastanova’s hands and feet and attempted to confine her in the room. When she tried to escape, he attacked her with a sharp weapon, killing her. The house owner, Uttam Naik, alerted the Goa Police, who promptly arrested the accused. A case has been registered under case number 05.26 and sections 126(2) and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police further revealed that Leonov is also accused of killing another Russian woman, Elena Vaneeva (37), a day earlier. On January 14, he allegedly slit Vaneeva’s neck with a knife in her room at Morjim. The incident reportedly occurred after 11 pm, following a dispute, based on a complaint filed by Vaneeva’s landlady.
After the first killing, Leonov allegedly travelled to Arambol, about eight kilometres away, on the evening of January 15 to meet Kastanova, where he committed the second murder. Police recovered both bodies on Friday.
Mandrem police arrested Leonov, and a further investigation into the double murders is underway, officials said.
Source: India Today