Family members of Russian found dead in Goa suspect murder

Six months after Russian teenager Elena Sukhanova was found dead on the tracks near Thivim railway station in Goa, her family members now suspect that she was killed.

"The facts placed by the Indian police clearly indicate that she was killed," Dimitiry Voronova, Elena’s brother-in-law, who is presently in Goa to identify her remains, said. The mutilated corpse of Sukhanova (19), a MBA student was found lying on the tracks next to Thivim railway station on May 7, 2009.

Police had termed it as a case of 'accidental death', saying that the Russian came under the wheels of the train in which she was travelling, a possibility that the Konkan railway authorities had rubbished.

The teen's family members, banking on the photographs of mutilated remains (sent from Goa) and her original pictures had consulted the forensic laboratory in Moscow, which said that the "remains does not seem to be that of Elena.

Dimitry said he will write formal letter to the police "seeking detailed investigation of the case" to confirm whether Elena was murdered. "She (Elena) was supposed to come back to Moscow on May 3. On May 2 Elena had called up home confirming that she will be leaving from Goa. We don’t understand why she stayed back," he said. The family members were clueless with her sudden decision to cancel the return journey.

"We got to know about her death through internet reports and Moscow police. We still can’t believe that she can die. This was her first overseas trip and she had traveled alone," Dimitry, a transport businessman in Russia, said.

Meanwhile police is still probing the case and were investigating two waiters, two youths from Pune and a shack owner who had befriended Elena on her Goa trip. "We are still investigating the case. It’s not closed," deputy superintendent of police, Sammy Tavares, told PTI.
       
The Russian’s death has left many questions unanswered as she was found missing from her hotel in Calangute few days before her death and even a missing complaint was filed with the local police station.

Her passport which was also not found in her luggage was later recovered by police under suspicious circumstances near a tree in the hotel.