“Andriyanov and nine other crew members had checked into the Trident around 7 am on Sunday. According to hotel authorities, the crew had booked 10 rooms and on Sunday night, Andriyanov was in room no. 1603 with three other crew members. According to those present in the room, Andriyanov was talking over phone with someone in Moscow. During the talk, he suddenly looked disturbed and left the room. A moment later, he came back, ran across the room and crashed into the French window and fell 16 storeys below,” said Y R Bajpei, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Colaba division.

“Andriyanov had suffered severe head injuries, fractures on a hand and leg and had broken ribs. He was immediately taken to Bombay Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead around 6 am today. His body was sent to J J Hospital for post mortem,” said Pradeep Khude, Assistant Police Inspector, Marine Drive police station. The Marine Drive police have filed a case of accidental death.

Andriyanov fell on shrubs near the hotel’s swimming pool and a security personnel who saw the fall immediately informed the hotel authorities. The police also sent three eye-witnesses - Maria Gordeeva, Natalia Shekhavtsova and Sergey Voronkov - for a medical check-up. “We searched their room for any suicide note, drugs or alcoholic substances but didn’t find any. As a part of a routine procedure to verify whether the eye-witnesses had any alcohol or drug in their blood, we sent them for a medical check-up,’ said Khude.

“Immediately after the incident, the crew members informed the Russian Consulate. The representatives from the consulate had called up Andriyanov’s parents in Moscow to whom he was speaking, but they denied discussing anything that would disturb him,” Khude said, adding that they were ruling out possibility of any foul play.