Court finally hears Finnish mother's plea to get her son's mysterious death probed

Felix Dahl loved Agonda so much that he wanted to make it his home; (right) his mother Minna at his grave in Finland

A mother's plea to get the mysterious death of her 22-year-old son in Goa in January 2015 probed, was finally heard almost two years later, when she moved a petition in the judicial magistrate court on October 5. The court not only found merit in the 68-year-old woman's plea but also found serious lapses on the part of the investigating officers attached to Canacona police station, who had almost closed the file, labelling the death ‘accidental'. The police now have until November 5 to submit their report.

The incident
According to family lawyers, Felix Dahl (22), a student, wanted a break before continuing his higher studies and came on a vacation to Goa in October 2014. He was staying in Agonda and he liked the place so much that he wanted to settle down there permanently. On January 26, 2015, he had an argument with a Patnem local and was taken to Agonda by the police. But, the next day he was found dead in Patnem, with head injuries. The local police claimed that he fell on the street and hurt himself, yet the results of a second autopsy in Finland suggest that his head injuries were most likely not the result of an accident and he was, in fact, murdered.

The postmortem findings by the local doctor were ‘death due to head injury'. The Finland autopsy surgeon, Edward N Willey, who conducted a second autopsy, listed points hinting at the possibility of homicide.

Long battle ahead
In an email response from Finland, Minna, Felix's mother, said, "We are aware that the new FIR is only the beginning of a long battle to get justice. The Scarlett Keeling, Stephen Bennett and Denyse Sweeney cases have taught us that the fight for justice in Goa is a long one. We will continue to fight for decades, if necessary." She added, "The police in Goa should understand that they are also followed by the international press, and these kinds of cover ups make them a laughing stock." Felix's family, meanwhile, has offered a reward of 1,400 euros ('1 lakh) to anyone who can reveal the identity of the killer and produce evidence to the prosecution.

Advocate Rajdeep Lahiri, who represented Minna, along with Shikha Bhurva, said, "The photographs of Felix at the crime scene that were procured from the police clearly show a pile of blood-soaked mud under his head. Also, the crime scene was close to a residential area, and his screams for help in the middle of the night would never have gone unheard." The lawyer added, "We have witnesses with whom Felix spent the evening before his death, where he had expressed fear of being killed, a statement that the police have not taken seriously."

The other side
Speaking to mid-day, Police Inspector Filomeno Costa, also in charge of Canacona police station, said, "I have learnt about the court observations, but am awaiting a copy of the order. I will be registering the FIR under section 302, as per the court directives, and will proceed with the investigations. The report will be submitted accordingly to the court."

When asked to comment on the initial probe, Costa said, "We have conducted the probe twice in the matter. As there is no direct eyewitness to the incident, we suspect it to be a case of accidental death and not homicide as claimed by the family. Also, we asked the family to furnish any evidence or tip they have, pertaining to the death, but haven't got any positive response from them."