Bhubaneswar: The CID of Odisha police seized burnt remnants of two Russian nationals, including a lawmaker from the cremation ground at Rayagada for forensic examination as part of its probe into the mystery over the twin deaths of the foreigners. The CID, which is probing the deaths of Vladimir Bidenov (61) and Pavel Antov (65), a lawmaker in Russia, was also planning to take the help of Interpol as the investigation may require interrogation and examination of certain people in Russia, said Odisha Police DGP Sunil Bansal on Sunday.
"However, we are yet to take a final decision in this regard," Bansal added. A senior official involved in the investigation of the case said "seizure of burnt remnants of the deceased could be useful for future investigation in the case." As a part of the investigation, the Crime Branch team led by DSP Saroj Mohanty on Sunday visited the hotel where Pavel was staying. The team reportedly quizzed the hotel staff and others in connection with the case.
While talking to media persons here, Bansal said that the police are probing into the case and they have not found anything fishy yet. However, he said that the investigation is going to be very time taking. On media question whether the Odisha police will seek the assistance of Interpol, the DGP said, “We are conducting the investigation with a scope of possibilities. If anything comes or what needs to be done will be decided as things progress.”
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Odisha's premier investigating agency on Saturday also completed recording the statement of two fellow tourists of the deceased Russians. "Recording of the statement of accompanying Russian couple namely Turov Mikhail and Pane Senko Natalia with the assistance of an interpreter and of tourist guide Jitendra Singh completed with audio-video recording of the whole process," a statement issued by the CID said.
Of the four Russians visiting Odisha's Rayagada district, Bidenov died on December 22 while Antov succumbed to a fall from a height on December 24. The local police based on the permission given by the deceased persons family members and the Russian Consulate, Kolkata cremated both bodies.
While police preserved the viscera of Bidenov, the same was not done in the case of Antov. A team of CID sleuths also thoroughly checked the two rooms of the hotel where the deceased persons were staying, the official said, adding that some articles were also seized from the rooms.
The investigating agency has also collected the list of guests, who visited the hotel at Rayagada from December 21 to 27. "The address and other details of guests are obtained for verification," the official said. The CID also obtained the list of hotel staff and they are being examined by the team, the official added.
