RUSSIA Another Russian citizen found dead in Orissa, the third in 15 days

The body of Milyakov Sergey, chief naval engineer, was found yesterday in his cabin. At the end of December two oligarchs died under suspicious circumstances in a hotel in Rayagada. Indian police say they have found no evidence of any “criminal act” but the investigation remains open.

Bhubaneswar () – Another Russian citizen was found dead yesterday in the eastern state of Orissa. He is the third in the last two weeks. At the end of December, the bodies of two Russian oligarchs were found in a hotel in the city of Rayagada.

The latest victim was named Milyakov Sergey and his body was discovered yesterday in the cabin of the MB Aldnah ship, anchored in Paradip port in Jagatsinghpur district. The 51-year-old man was the chief engineer of the ship, which was en route to Mumbai from the port of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

The Paradip port authorities have launched the investigation, while agents from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the Criminal Branch (CB) continue to investigate the deaths of the other two Russians. Orissa Police Director General SK Bansal stated that the investigation is being conducted with an “open mind” and no “evidence of any criminal act” has been found so far.

The two oligarchs were touring the Indian state along with other men, also Russian citizens. Pavel Antov, 65, allegedly fell on December 24 from the third floor of the hotel where he was staying – the result of the autopsy indicates death from internal injuries, according to the police – while Vladimir Bidenov, 61, would have suffered a heart attack two days earlier. The body was in his room at the Sai International Hotel surrounded by bottles of wine.

Antov was a Russian deputy and owner of a sausage company. In recent months he had posted a WhatsApp status critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Several high-profile Russian citizens have died in suspicious circumstances in 2022among them Ravil Maganov, president of Lukoil – the second largest oil company in the country – who had called for an end to the war.

The two bodies were not sent back to Russia but cremated in India, near Rayagada, with the consent of relatives and the Russian embassy, ​​although some remains were reserved for forensic examination.