The Odisha police’s crime branch on Saturday inspected the ground where the two Russian tourists who died under mysterious circumstances were cremated.

Pavel 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 a hotel in Rayagada district, two days after his companion Vladimir Bidenov died of a suspected heart attack.

A forensic team accompanied the crime branch sleuths to the cremation ground. The teams collected samples from the cremation ground which would be sent to forensic laboratories for further investigation.

“The remnants collected by the team will be analysed. The investigation is going on smoothly and all are cooperating,” said deputy superintendent of police, crime branch, Saroj Mahanta.

The teams also took possession of the liquor bottles and glasses seized by the district police from the hotel room.

Antov’s slippers were also seized.

So far the crime branch has not found any foul play behind the deaths, sources said, adding that the post-mortem reports had also ruled out suspicious death.

The post-mortem report of Antov mentions that the death was accidental. Bidenov died of a suspected heart attack, his post-mortem says.

While Bidenov died on December 22, Antov was found lying in a pool of blood on December 26 in the backyard of the hotel. The crime branch is probing whether Antov jumped from the terrace of the hotel, or accidentally fell or was pushed.

The sleuths are questioning the hotel staff. Earlier, hotel receptionist Bijay Swaim had said that Antov fell from the terrace when no one was there.

Russian held

The Government Railway Police have detained a Russian, Andrew Glagolev, 58, after the local media said he was missing. Glagolev was sitting at the Bhubaneswar station with a placard that read “ I am a Russian refugee. I am against war and against Putin. I am homeless.”