PANAJI
As Goa police proceed cautiously with the investigation into the killing of two Russian nationals -- Elena Kasthanova and Elena Vaneeva -- disturbing details are emerging about the accused, Alexei Leonov.
Police sources said all three were connected to the wedding and entertainment circuit, a link now central to the inquiry. Police teams are tracing their contacts with event organisers and venue operators.
“The trio may have been hired by organisers or venue managers to perform at their events. There is also a possibility they were engaged by private individuals... Our effort is to reconstruct their movements, map their professional and personal networks, and identify any interactions that could offer further clues,” a senior officer told The Goan.
Leonov, who has been living in India since 2023, allegedly confessed to murdering both women for financial reasons. Police, however, are treating his statements with caution due to inconsistencies and repeated changes during interrogation.
Preliminary questioning suggests Leonov displays 'psychopathic tendencies'.
“He claimed he would befriend foreign nationals, mostly fellow Russians, and confessed that the method of killing was either slitting the throat or suffocating the victims,” the source added.
Concern has deepened after Leonov claimed involvement in another killing, reportedly a 40-year-old woman from Assam, though police have stated no body matching that description has been traced.
In an official statement issued last Saturday, Goa Police confirmed that Leonov admitted to murdering Kasthanova and Vaneeva. The motive given was a “monetary dispute”.
However, police officials said the motive may be more complex. “While a financial dispute may have triggered the confirmed murders, his disclosures suggest obsessive relationships with both women, which appear to have escalated into violence,” the source added.
Leonov told police he was in relationships with both women and was living with them, though police stressed that all claims are being independently verified.
Kasthanova, a go-go dancer who worked as an usher at weddings, arrived in Goa on December 24, 2025. Her body was found on January 15 in her rented house in Arambol. According to the FIR, Leonov allegedly assaulted her, tied her hands behind her back with a rope and slit her throat with a sharp-edged weapon.
Vaneeva, a bubble performer and artist, arrived in Goa only last week and met Leonov shortly afterwards. Police said she was murdered on the night of January 14 in her rented accommodation in Morjim, where her throat was also slit.
Police sources further said that neighbours in Arambol told police they heard screams from the room occupied by Kasthanova and Leonov, after which the landlord alerted authorities. When police arrived, Leonov allegedly attempted to flee by jumping from a first-floor balcony but was caught and arrested soon after.
Leonov, allegedly, worked as a fire display performer in Goa, and over the past three years, he is said to have travelled to different places with maximum trips between Goa and Himachal Pradesh. Police are now verifying his background to determine whether he has any prior criminal history.
“The Russian citizen easily charmed women and made friends with them. After gaining their trust, he took large amounts of money from them not only for physical relations but also for travel from one place to another. Every aspect of the case is under probe,” the source said.
Police have recovered the murder weapon, and the concerned embassies have been informed in keeping with protocol for cases involving foreign nationals.
Given the sensitivity of the case and its international ramifications, the Goa Police have urged the media to await official statements as the matter is being closely followed at national and international levels.
PROBING QUESTIONS: FOOD FOR THOUGHT
*Was the alleged motive purely financial, or was money merely a trigger for deeper and more complex behaviour?
*Was Leonov a calculated predator who used charm, and the comfort of shared nationality, to gain trust before allegedly striking?
*Did his movements through Himachal Pradesh and Goa, particularly around known party-circuit locations, point to any drug-related links?
*Are the confirmed murders the only crimes connected to Leonov?
*What was the nature of his lifestyle since his arrival in India?
*Did landlords who rented him accommodation ever seek police verification, as mandated?
