BHUBANESWAR, India—Pavel Antov holed himself up in his lodge room, refusing foods and drinks for 2 days, after the dying of a longtime buddy who had accompanied him on a visit deep into the jungles of east India.
The final time the employees on the Lodge Sai Worldwide recall seeing the 65-year-old Russian—a distinguished regional lawmaker who owned a sausage-making firm—he was alone on Dec. 24, swinging his fists within the air and heading for the lodge roof.