Cops refuse to hand over bodies of Russian duo

Cops refuse to hand over bodies of Russian duo

TNN

PANAJI: The Goa police have refused to hand over the bodies of two Russian teenagers, who were found murdered at Vagator in November 2007, to the
consulate general of the Russian Federation in Mumbai.

Anton Prosnyakov, who had gone missing in November 2007, had arrived in New Delhi from Russia on August 25, 2007 on a tourist visa along with his girlfriend Marina Pulina, 22.

They travelled to Srinagar, Leh, Mumbai and finally landed in Goa in October. They initially stayed at Vagator and then moved to Chapora. With no news from their son for a long time, Anton's parents lodged a complaint with the foreign affairs ministry of the Russian Federation saying that their son had gone missing since November 2007.

Though the DNA and super imposition' tests have confirmed that the decomposed body of the man, found in the bushes at Vagator, was that of Anton's, the parents will have write a letter to the Russian counsulate requesting that the body be handed over to them. The letter will also have to be forwarded to the Goa police.

"We cannot hand over the bodies to the consulate without the parents' consent. What if the consulate disposes the bodies and the parents approach us thereafter? Let the parents write to us through the consulate and let the consulate attach the request letter of the parents to theirs. Only then will we hand over the bodies," SP (foreigners registration office) Tony Fernandes said.

After the police informed the Russian consulate that the body was identified, the consulate told the Goa police that the family wished to take possession of whatever was left of the bodies in order to perform the final rites in Russia.


18 July 2009,The Times of India, Goa edition