The Russian man, who was arrested for allegedly murdering two women named Elena in Goa, has told the police that he had a certain “dislike” for women of that name, saying that his mother also went by the name Elena and
had “neglected” him during childhood, The Indian Express reported.
Alexei Leonov, a fire display performer, was apprehended last week for allegedly murdering two Russian women in Goa – Elena Kasthanova and Elena Vaneeva. In a statement earlier this week, the police said that the accused was a close friend of both victims and that the motive behind the killing might have been a “monetary dispute”.
On Tuesday, the investigators said that the accused had revealed to them that his mother was also named Elena, who had reportedly neglected him during childhood. Later, he went on to develop a certain animosity towards women of that name.
The investigator, however, clarified that this was not the motive behind the murders. “But it is a peculiar detail that came up during interrogation and paints a picture of his state of mind”, he said, as quoted by the outlet.
Accused possesses ‘psychopathic’ tendencies
According to the report, the investigators learnt during the course of the probe that the accused, Leonov, possesses “psychopathic” tendencies and has claimed that he killed more people.
“In one instance, where he claimed that he killed a foreign national, an investigation has found that though he was acquainted with the woman, she left India sometime ago, and is alive”, The Indian Express quoted the police as saying.
Similarly, in the case of a 40-year-old woman from Assam, whose death was registered as an unnatural death on January 14, Leonov had told the police that he had killed her.
However, the probe revealed that she had died of a drug overdose.
Elena Kasthanova worked as a go-go dancer and had arrived in Goa on December 24, 2025. She was found murdered at around 9:15 P.M. on Thursday at her rented accommodation in Arambol, a village in Goa.
According to the police, Leonov had allegedly assaulted Kasthanova before slitting her neck with a sharp-edged weapon.
The other victim, Elena Vaneeva, was a bubble performer who came to Goa recently and got in touch with Leonov. Last Wednesday, around 11 P.M., the accused allegedly murdered her by slitting her neck with a sharp-edged weapon at her rented accommodation in Morjim, said the police.
The police added that the accused was in a relationship with both the women – while Kasthanova was killed over her alleged affair with another man, Vaneeva was murdered over a “monetary dispute”.
