AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
ARAMBOL/PORVORIM/BAMBOLIM: A fortnight after Russian national Alexei Leonov was arrested for the alleged murder of two women—both in their late thirties and from Russia—questions are being raised over how the police are preparing to file a chargesheet without sending the accused to the Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour (IPHB) for a mental assessment to ascertain whether he lacked “mens rea” (criminal responsibility) at the time of the murders.
Alexei Leonov was arrested on January 16, 2026, after the body of 37-year-old Elena Kasthanova was found at Bamanbhat in Arambol on January 15. His arrest led police to discover that the accused was also allegedly involved in the murder of another Russian woman, who was found dead in similar circumstances in Morjim on January 14, a few kilometres from Arambol. Leonov, according to the police, admitted to both murders.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“After completing the investigation, the next step is to file a chargesheet,” stated Harischandra Madkaikar, SP, North Goa.
The arrest of Leonov and his subsequent confessions that he was involved in the murder of even more women had the Mandrem police on their toes. “We visited various places indicated by him and came back empty-handed, with absolutely no clues of any further murders,” stated officers attached to the Mandrem Police Station, on condition of anonymity.
Apart from confessing to having murdered three more women from Russia, the alleged accused is also supposed to have indicated to the police that he had murdered an Indian woman living in Corgao. This claim was ruled out after her autopsy revealed that she had died due to a drug overdose.
“Kasthanova,” according to the landlord where she lived, “was a lady to herself.” “Since she was living with us, I must have seen him come and meet her two or three times. He normally came, spent an hour or so with her and left. We never heard them fight,” admitted the owner of the residence, who identified himself as Raju.
“Apart from another Russian lady living next door to her, she hardly interacted with people,” confessed Raju.
A few locals from Arambol have sketchy memories of Leonov. One restaurant owner, who remembers him as a client, admitted he was no different from other Russians. “They (Russians) are a bit crazy,” he said.
Both Russian women, according to the autopsy reports accessed by O Heraldo, were badly injured, and their Randox reports revealed the presence of narcotics. “The alleged accused, according to medical professionals at Goa Medical College (GMC), is mentally incapacitated due to excessive use of drugs.”
“He did not know what he was saying. He just kept blabbering and moving from topic to topic. It was not possible to make sense of what he was saying. This appears to be a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. By keeping him in custody, the police are putting themselves at risk because he is capable of harming himself or others. He should be sent to IPHB for an assessment first,” stated a medical professional, on condition of anonymity.
Those at the Mandrem Police Station, while agreeing that the alleged accused Leonov shows signs of mental instability, prefer to follow the line of investigation set out by their superiors.
“No truth has been established in anything that he has claimed. He has been sending us on a wild goose chase. His statements cannot be substantiated with facts. It has been difficult to identify where he has been staying,” disclosed a man in khaki, on condition of anonymity.
“A person on heavy drugs need not necessarily suffer from withdrawal symptoms,” explained a doctor who examined Leonov when he was brought to GMC. “But his behaviour was indicative that he had lost his mental acumen due to drugs,” he reasoned.
One of the assumptions about how Leonov sustained himself in Goa is that he sold drugs to support his habit. “I had met the Indian woman who was alleged to have been murdered by him. She was not a nice person to know,” said an individual, on condition of anonymity.
Members of the Russian Embassy in New Delhi visited Leonov in jail and have remained tight-lipped. “People from the Russian Embassy have met him,” stated a jail official, on condition of anonymity.
Members of the legal fraternity, however, are surprised at the manner in which the investigation has been carried out, with one of them stating, “By filing a chargesheet without having him examined at IPHB, the police are leaving an easy getaway for him.”
“If he is mentally unfit, he is a risk to society. If certified so, he should be deported to his country,” added an advocate, on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the two women who were murdered were cremated after their families’ requests were conveyed through embassy officials.
