The Odisha director-general of police on Sunday said there was no indication so far of foul play in the deaths of Russian tourists Pavel Antov and Vladimir Bidenov in a Rayagada hotel.

DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal said: “As of now, there is no indication of foul play. We have engaged the best officers of the department in the investigation. They are on the job. But it’s a time-consuming investigation.”

Asked whether Odisha police will seek Interpol’s help, Bansal said: “We are conducting the investigation with an open mind. If anything comes up or anything needs to be done, that will be decided as things progress.”

Antov, a critic of President Vladimir Putin and one of Russia’s richest politicians, was found lying in a pool of blood in the backyard of the hotel in Rayagada, two days after his companion Bidenov died of a suspected heart attack.

The crime branch is probing whether Antov jumped from the terrace of the hotel, accidentally fell or was pushed. The crime branch team has sent the ashes to the forensic laboratory for examination.