Odisha police may seek Interpol help in Russian lawmaker’s death case

Bhubaneswar: Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Bansal today said that if required, the Crime Branch may take the help of Interpol in a case pertaining to the back-to-back deaths of two Russian tourists in a hotel at Odisha’s Rayagada recently.

“Senior and efficient officials of Odisha Crime Branch are now probing the case. Till now, we have not found anything suspicious in the deaths of Russian lawmaker Pavel Antov (65) and his friend Vladimir Bydanov at Rayagada recently. If required, we may take the help of Interpol in connection with the case,” said the DGP.

The Crime Branch, meanwhile, has seized Pavel’s smartphone, laptop and passport. “The Crime Branch may seek the help of Interpol to know details on Pavel’s mobile calls and emails,” said a source in Odisha Police.

The Crime Branch officials have also collected the burnt remnants of Pavel and Bydanov from a cremation ground near Rayagada. The burnt remnants will be sent for forensic examination, sources said.

“Our officials have talked to Rayagada police, the doctors who have conducted the postmortem and the hotel staff in connection with the case. We have also collected details on persons who had checked into the hotel from December 1 to 27 last year,” said the official.

Antov and Bydanov along with Russian couple Turov Mikhail and Natalia Panasenko had checked into the hotel at Rayagada on December 21 last year.

Bydanov was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his hotel room on December 22. Two days later on December 24, Antov was found dead in the hotel.

Antov was a Russian lawmaker and a bitter critic of President Vladimir Putin. The police had said that Antov died after falling from the third floor of the hotel.

The Crime Branch has quizzed the Russian couple and their Indian guide Jitendra Singh in connection with the case.