Two Russian tourists from same group die 2 days apart at Odisha hotel

Odisha police are investigating the death of a 65-year-old Russian lawmaker-businessman two days after his friend, another Russian tourist, was found dead in the same hotel in Rayagada district.

Pavel Antov died after falling from the third floor of his hotel. He was found lying in a pool of blood outside the hotel on December 24, police said. They suspect it to be suicide, as Antov was reportedly depressed after the death of his friend, Vladimir Bidenov (61).

Bidenov was found lying unconscious in his room on the first floor of the hotel, with a few empty wine bottles around him, on December 22. He was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

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Bidenov and Antov were part of a four-member group of Russian tourists, who, along with their guide Jitendra Singh, had checked into the hotel in Rayagada town on December 21. Singh told news agency ANI that Bidenov was ailing.

“He might have drunk a lot of alcohol, as he had liquor bottles around him when he was found unconscious. He was a heart patient and had medicines with him. His other friend, too, was drinking,” Singh added.

Suspicious deaths

The deaths of two Russian tourists from the same group within a couple of days of each other have triggered suspicions of a hit job.

Antov, a multi-millionaire and member of parliament, was known for criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “terror,” according to media reports. Though he had later retracted the statement, Putin’s critics have reportedly died in similar ways in Russia.

Rayagada SP Vivekananda Sharma was quoted by ANI as saying, “Four people came to stay in a hotel in Rayagada on December 21. On December 22 morning, one of them, Vladimir Bidenov, died. His friend, Pavel Antov, was depressed after his death and he, too, died on December 25.”

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An investigation is underway to find out whether it was a suicide or an accident, according to the police.

Russian embassy statement

The Russian embassy on December 27 said Odisha Police had not yet found any criminal link to the deaths of its two citizens in the same hotel within two days.

“We are aware of the tragedy that happened in Odisha, where two of our citizens died. One of them is Pavel Antov, member of the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir Oblast. We are in constant contact with the relatives of the deceased, as well as with the local authorities. As far as we know, police do not yet see a criminal component in these tragic events,” the Russian embassy in India told NDTV.

(With agency inputs)