Russian lawmaker's death: CID to conduct dummy simulation exercise to ascertain cause of death

Speeding up the process of investigation into the death of a Russian lawmaker, the CID is planning to conduct a dummy simulation exercise to determine the cause of Pavel Antov's death.

Rayagada (Odisha): The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Odisha has planned to conduct a 'dummy simulation' exercise to ascertain the cause of death of Russian lawmaker Pavel Antov. Antov had died after he fell from the third floor of a hotel in Rayagada town on December 24, while another Russian, Vladimir Bidanov, was found dead in his hotel room on December 22.

Dummy simulation is an investigative process where the investigators- in an effort to have an idea of the situation on the day of the incident- will recreate the scene and analyse it. A simulation imitates the operation of real world processes or systems with the use of models. The model represents the key behaviours and characteristics of the selected process or system while the simulation represents how the model evolves under different conditions over time.

The official, while referring to the agency's plan said, "An object with weight and height similar to that of Antov will be made. Experts will try to determine the nature of the incident and injury marks on Antov's body and cross-check with the autopsy report. This exercise is expected to help the probe team reach at a definite conclusion". The post-mortem report of Antov clearly states: the rupture of the left lung, liver, and spleen lead to haemorrhage shock and death.

"The CID specifically plans to conduct a dummy simulation exercise of falling from the rooftop under similar circumstances," the official said. "The investigating agency is contemplating to recreate the circumstances that led to the death of Antov, as there has been no evidence or clue pointing at foul play in the twin deaths," the official added. Apart from that the CID officials are interrogating the hotel staffers and the seized items are sent for forensic examination.

Antov had allegedly fallen from the third floor of the hotel and hit the ground on the left side. The local police, which conducted the autopsy, did not preserve the viscera samples for future investigation. The CID has collected some remnants of Antov's body from the crematorium. At least three Russian nationals have died under different circumstances in Odisha within a fortnight. (With agency inputs)