Russian tourist found dead in Odisha hotel

A Russian tourist was found dead at a hotel in Odisha’s Rayagada district, police said Friday.

Vladimir Bidanov, 61, was part of a four-member group of Russian tourists who along with their guide Jitendra Singh had checked into the hotel in Rayagada town on Wednesday.

Singh said they found Vladimir lying unconscious in his room on the first floor of the hotel with a few empty wine bottles around him.

Vladimir was rushed to the district hospital but doctors declared him dead, he said, adding that the group was supposed to leave for Jeypore in Koraput district from Rayagada on Thursday morning.

''The deceased was taking medicines for some heart ailments,'' he said.

Based on the preliminary inquiry, SDPO (Rayagada) Debjyoti Dash said, ''It is suspected that the foreign tourist succumbed to excessive consumption of liquor. His family has been intimated about the incident through the Embassy of the Russian Federation and his son is expected to reach Rayagada on Saturday.'' The autopsy will be conducted after his son reaches Rayagada following which the exact cause of the death will be known, said Dash.