Russian Lawmaker’s Death In Odisha: Special Crime Branch Team Proceeds To Rayagada For Probe

Bhubaneswar: Further intensifying its probe into the mysterious death of wealthy Russian lawmaker Pavel Antov and his friend, the Crime Branch of Odisha police sent a special team to Rayagada along with forensic experts.

The new team, headed by DSP Saroj Kant Mohanto, includes an inspector, one sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector. This apart, two forensic experts and photographers have been despatched to assist the CID-CB team in Rayagada where the incidents took place last week.

The team is entrusted with the responsibility of visiting the spot, examining the witnesses and identifying and collecting evidence from the spot and local police and taking follow up action.

While Antov (65) was lying in a pool of blood on December 24 outside the hotel building where they were staying in Rayagada, his friend Vladimir Bidenov (62) was found dead inside the hotel room two days earlier on December 22. The two were on a visit to the south Odisha town along with two other Russians.

Another CID-CB team has elicited some information about the family members of the deceased persons in course of investigation, Crime Branch sources said.

CID-CB is in the process of contacting them so as to cross-check the veracity of information collected during the examination of the other two Russians – Panasenko Natalia and and Turov Mikhail.

CB sleuths are continuing with the  examination of  the two  Russian  nationals and trying to ascertain the exact sequence of events that took place. Both the Russian tourists are fully cooperating with the enquiry.

The CB team has  further examined  their interpreter Jitendra Singh and tried to ascertain the veracity of chain of events and crosscheck it with the information collected from Russian nationals

The sleuths have also collected copies of  documents regarding their travel in India. The travel itinerary of the Russian tourists, their bookings at different hotels, airlines and travel company are being verified, they said.

Efforts are being made to collect medical health records or the deceased persons. The investigation is continuing.

Antov, Bidenov and the two other Russians had come to Odisha and had visited Kandhamal district. From there they travelled to Rayagada and stayed at Sai International Hotel in the town.

While it is claimed that the Russian MP fell off his third flood hotel room terrace, some others felt that he was very close to Videnov and might have jumped to death after being unable to bear the loss.

Questions are also being raised about the reason of the visit of the rich lawmaker and his friends to Odisha and their links with the state.