Team Goemkarponn
Arambol: A Russian national, Denis Kriuchkoy, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday by Mandrem Police for possession of narcotic substances worth ₹3.65 lakh. The accused, a 51-year-old resident of Arambol in Pernem, had earlier been arrested in 2021 for the murder of a Russian woman and was out on bail.
According to police sources, Kriuchkoy had arrived in Goa in 2017 and had been residing in the Anjuna area. During his stay, he reportedly became actively involved in drug trafficking. In 2021, he was arrested by Anjuna Police in connection with Crime No. 108/2021 under Section 302 of the IPC for the alleged murder of a fellow Russian national. Despite being released on bail, intelligence inputs indicated that he resumed his involvement in illicit drug activities in the coastal belt.
Acting on specific information, a team from Mandrem Police Station led by PSI Laximan Dessai, under the supervision of PI Girendre J. Naik, SDPO Pernem Salim Shaikh, and SP North Rahul Gupta, IPS, conducted a narcotics raid near Urmi Yoga Academy, Madhlawada, Arambol between 12:40 am and 3:10 am on June 12.
During the operation, Kriuchkoy was caught red-handed with 300 grams of a blackish sticky substance suspected to be charas worth ₹3 lakh, and 6.45 grams of a brownish crystal-like substance suspected to be MDMA worth ₹65,000. Police also seized a mobile phone of Infinix make.
An offence has been registered under Mandrem Police Station Crime No. 59/2025 under Sections 20(b)(ii)(B) and 22(b) of the NDPS Act, 1985. The accused has been placed under arrest following all Supreme Court guidelines.
Further investigation is being carried out by PSI Kunal Naik of Mandrem Police Station.
