Court seeks response on CBI probe plea

PANAJI: The Goa bench of Bombay high court on Thursday directed the state government and police to reply to a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the mysterious death of Finnish national Felix Dahl at Patnem beach in 2014.

The court gave the public prosecutor and Canacona police two weeks to reply to the petition.

The petition said a post-mortem report in Goa declared Dahl’s death was caused due to an accident, while a second autopsy in Finland stated the deceased had injuries likely caused due to impact of a sharp and heavy item, indicating the possibility of murder. Dahl, 22, had visited Goa in October 2014. His body was found with injuries to the head at the beach under Canacona police limits in South Goa.

“We have evidence that it was not an accidental death but a murder. But the police continue to sit idle and have so far shown shoddy investigation,” said advocate Rajdeep Lahri of Singhania and Co which is representing Dahl’s mother, Minna Pirhonen, in the case. The petition has sought transfer of the case from the police to the CBI and also setting up of a committee to investigate the deaths of foreigners in Goa. In April, Hindustan Times had reported that 245 foreigners have died in Goa in the last 12 years.

A POSTMORTEM IN GOA SAID FELIX DAHL’S DEATH WAS DUE TO AN ACCIDENT, BUT FINLAND REPORTED INJURIES BY A SHARP OBJECT, INDICATING MURDER