Odisha: Indian security forces are probing the sudden deaths of a wealthy Russian lawmaker who reportedly criticized the Ukraine war and his companion at a luxury hotel in Odisha state.
The body of Pavel Antov, 65, was found Saturday in a pool of blood outside his lodgings in eastern Odisha state, where he was on holiday with three other Russian nationals.
His death came two days after another member of the travel party, Vladimir Bidenov, was found unconscious after suffering an apparent heart attack at the same hotel and could not be revived.
Police said they were reviewing CCTV footage, questioning hotel staff and waiting on detailed autopsy reports, but so far there was no sign of foul play.
“All possible angles as regards the deaths of two Russian nationals are being verified,” regional police chief Rajesh Pandit told Agence France Presse (AFP).
Bidenov’s heart attack had likely been caused by binge drinking and a possible drug overdose, he said.
“So far it seems that Antov accidentally fell from the hotel terrace,” he added.
“He was probably disturbed by the death of his friend and went to the hotel terrace and likely fell to his death from there.”
The officer said Antov and his friends had arrived in the state in mid-December and visited several locations before arriving at their hotel in Rayagada at the start of last week.
Two local travel agents accompanying the party had also been questioned, along with the other two Russian members of the holiday group.
Since 2018, Antov was a member of a regional parliament 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Moscow, representing President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.
Before entering politics he founded the food processing enterprise Vladimirsky Standart and in 2019 he was ranked the richest among all parliamentarians and senior officials in the country by the Russian edition of Forbes magazine. India probes mysterious deaths
In June, Russian media published a WhatsApp message attributed to Antov that said a Kremlin missile bombardment on Ukraine was “terrorism.” India probes mysterious deaths
Antov took to the Russian social media network VK to deny writing the message, insisting that he supported Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Antov’s death was announced in Russia by the deputy head of the Vladimir Legislative Assembly, Vyacheslav Kartukhin, on Telegram.
“As a result of tragic circumstances, our colleague, a successful entrepreneur, and philanthropist Pavel Genrihovich Antov, passed away. On behalf of the deputies of the United Russia faction, I express my deep condolences to the family and friends.”
Antov was one of the richest politicians. In 2018, Forbes estimated his fortune at 10 billion rubles ($146 million).
Russian Consul General in India’s Kolkata city, Alexey Idamkin, told the Russian state-run TASS news agency: “A tourist group of four people was vacationing at a hotel in Rayagada. Last Thursday, Russian Vladimir B. died. According to police, the cause of this was a heart attack. Last Saturday, the second Russian, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir region, Pavel Antov, fell out of the window,” he said.
“We are closely following the investigation and getting all the information from the Odisha police.” AFP
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