CBI takes over Finnish national Felix Dahl's death case

Felix Dahl was found dead on January 28th, 2015 in Goa's Canacona.

File photo

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday took over probe of Finnish-national Felix Dahl's death case. Bombay High Court at Goa transferred the probe to CBI which was earlier being carried out by the Goa Police.  

The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court had earlier on July 6th directed the CBI to take over the murder probe. 

The Court issued an orders stating that the police probe into Dahl's death was "not indicative of fair and impartial."

22-year-old man Felix Dahl was found dead outside a local's house in Goa's Canacona on January 28th, 2015.

The Panaji bench had asked the state government to wake up to the alarming issue of foreigners' deaths in the coastal state.

"We are not commenting on the correctness of the cause in every case, but such occurrences themselves and the resultant situations are not conducive for the perception about the existence of the Rule of Law," Justices Prithviraj K. Chavan and N.M. Jamdar had said in the order.

"We are of the opinion that the state of Goa should take a review of this situation on a priority basis. The state could consider setting up a Special Cell headed by a senior officer to deal with such investigations. The state may consider not to let such investigations remain in the hands of the local police alone. We trust that the state will take appropriate positive steps in this regard," the order said. 

According to official statistics, 245 foreigners have died in Goa over the last 21 years.

The High Court order was followed by a petition of the deceased`s mother Minna Pirhonen, who had petitioned the Court to seek a CBI probe into her son`s death in 2015. Police had dismissed the death as an unnatural death, while his mother believes that Felix was murdered.

"A Constitutional court cannot remain a mute spectator when an apparent faulty and prejudiced investigation is meandering towards a predetermined end. It is, therefore, necessary to transfer the investigation of this case to an outside and competent investigatory agency.

"CBI has been chosen by the High Courts in several cases. Considering the case from all angles, we are satisfied that it is necessary to transfer the investigation of this case to the CBI," the order said.

The order also said it was important to transfer the case to the CBI because of the backdrop of the series of deaths of foreign tourists as well as to ensure that the murder probe does not become a casualty at the hands of "myopic officers" of the local police station.

(With Agency inputs)