Bhubaneswar/Paradip: Another Russian was on Tuesday found dead in a cargo ship anchored at Pradip Port, the third death of citizens of the CIS country in a fortnight in Odisha.
The 51-year-old Russian, identified as Milyakov Sergey, was the chief engineer of the vessel, M B Aldnah, which was on its way to Mumbai from Chittagong Port in Bangladesh via Paradip.
“The foreigner was found dead in his chamber in the ship around 4 am on Tuesday. The vessel was anchored around 45 kilometres away from the Paradip Port Trust’s berth area,” Odisha DGP SK Bansal said.
He mentioned that the port authorities informed the local marine police station in Jagatsingpur district about the death of the Russian.
“All the procedures are being followed as per law,” he said.
“The incident may be probed by the Odisha CID and the Crime Branch teams if required,” the DGP said while replying to a question on the investigation into the death of the Russian engineer.
Paradip Port Trust Chairman P L Haranand also confirmed the death of the Russian engineer and said an investigation was underway.
“It is too early to say anything about the death of the engineer. The police will inquire into all angles and all required measures will be taken in the post-mortem examinations and the investigation into the death of the ship engineer,” he said.
Sources said there were 23 crew members in the vessel, including four Russians, one Estonian and one Romanian.
The Odisha police said, “It could not immediately ascertain the cause of the engineer’s death”.
Two Russian tourists were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Rayagada town in southern Odisha in the latter half of December.
Pavel Antov (65), a Russian lawmaker, died after allegedly falling from a hotel’s third floor on December 24, while his friend Vladimir Bidenov (61) was found dead in his room on December 22.
Two separate cases of unnatural deaths were registered at the Sadar Police Station in Rayagada.
There was “no evidence of any foul play so far” behind the death of the two Russians, the DGP had said on January 1.
The post-mortem report of the Russian MP indicated that he died of internal injury after a fall, while that of Bidenov pointed to a heart attack as the cause of death, police said.
The last rites of the two deceased were completed with the consent of their family members and the Russian Embassy.
A group of four Russians, including Antov and Bidenov, along with their Delhi-based tour guide Jitendra Singh, had reached Odisha on December 19, and checked in to the hotel on December 21.
Notably, another Russian was on December 31 found loitering at Bhubaneswar Railway Station and later picked up by the Government Railway Police (GRP).
He was spotted holding a placard in which he stated that he was homeless and against the Russia-Ukraine war.
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.