Indian police are investigating the sudden deaths of a wealthy Russian politician who allegedly posted a post criticizing the war in Ukraine and his traveling companion at a luxury hotel in eastern India, an official has said. of the Odisha State Police.
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The body of Pavel Antov, 65, a deputy of a regional parliament in Russia, was discovered on Saturday December 24, according to “Indian Express”, in a pool of blood outside the hotel where he was vacationing with three other Russians, police said. He apparently fell to his death from the hotel terrace.
Two days earlier, another member of the Russian tour group, Vladimir Bidenov, was found unconscious in the same hotel, apparently suffering from a heart attack and unable to be revived.
Police have reviewed all CCTV footage, interviewed hotel staff pending detailed autopsies, but have so far found no clues to suggest a homicide.
“All possible angles regarding the deaths of the two Russians are checked”regional police chief Rajesh Pandit told AFP.
Pavel Antov, one of Russia’s richest men
The heart attack that caused Vladimir Bidenov’s death was likely caused by alcohol abuse and a possible drug overdose, he said.
As for Pavel Antov, “He was probably disturbed by the death of his friend and went to the terrace of the hotel from where he probably fell to his death”explained the police chief.
Pavel Antov and his friends arrived in Odisha state in mid-December. They visited various sites before arriving at their hotel in Rayagada early last week. Two Indian tour guides who accompanied the group and the other two Russians who were part of it were also questioned.
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Pavel Antov, a member of President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, had been a deputy of a regional parliament 150 km east of Moscow since 2018.
Before entering politics, he founded the company Vladimirski Standart (food industry) and in 2019 found himself at the top of the list of the richest deputies and politicians in Russia of the Russian edition of “Forbes magazine “.
In June, Russian media published a WhatsApp message attributed to Pavel Antov stating that Russian bombings of Ukraine were acts of “terrorism”.
Antov had on the Russian social network VK denied having written this message, saying that he supported “special military operation”official formula of the authorities to designate the war carried out by Russia against Ukraine.
