MAPUSA
A 64-year-old woman from Finland was found dead inside a guest house room at Maddo Waddo, Calangute, late on Monday night. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and have begun investigations.
According to the Calangute Police, the incident came to light around 11.10 pm on October 27, when the Pink Force-2 patrol team received a PCR call reporting that a woman was lying motionless inside a locked room at a guest house in Maddo Waddo.
Upon reaching the spot, the police conducted an inquiry with the guest house owner, Janet D’Costa, who stated that she and her friends were at their shack on Calangute beach when they received a distress call from Satu, a fellow foreign national.
Satu reportedly informed them that Merja Marita Salminen, the deceased, had collapsed inside her room.
D’Costa, accompanied by her friends, rushed back to the guest house and called the police for assistance. In the presence of the Pink Force-2 staff, the group broke open the door, which was locked from inside.
Police said that upon entering the room, Merja Marita Salminen, aged 64 and a native of Helsinki, Finland, was found lying unresponsive on the floor. Medical personnel from the 108 emergency service were called to the spot and later declared her dead.
The body has been shifted to the Goa Medical College morgue in Bambolim for preservation and medico-legal examination. Police said there were no immediate signs of foul play, but the exact cause of death would be known only after an autopsy.
The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Panaji, has been requested to inform the Finnish Embassy and coordinate with the family members of the deceased.
A case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has been registered, and further investigation is being conducted by the Calangute Police. Police sources said the woman had been staying in Calangute for some time, and preliminary inquiries suggest she was residing alone at the guest house.
