What may add to the mystery of the Sunanda Pushkar murder is the presence of a deadly radioactive particle which has been used in some sensational international murders.Â
The AIIMS medical report which declared Sunanda Pushkar was poisoned also found Polonium 210 on her. This substance is a rare and highly radioactive isotope which is extremely hard to detect.
It occurs naturally in very low concentrations in the Earth’s crust and also is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. In small amounts, it has legitimate industrial uses, mainly in devices to eliminate static electricity.
The substance was used to assassinate Kremlin critic and ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko. On November 1, 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised in what was established as a case of poisoning by radioactive polonium-210 which resulted in his death on November 23.
After fleeing Russia in 2000, Litvinenko landed in London with his family and was granted asylum in the UK, where he worked as a journalist, writer and consultant for the British intelligence services.
It was claimed by British prosecutors, Litvinenko’s companions, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, slipped the polonium – a colourless, odourless substance – into his tea. He died three weeks later in agony.
The same substance was detected by a Swiss team in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s exhumed body. The official report after his death, in 2004, cited a stroke as the cause, but amid continuing claims he was murdered; his body was exhumed in 2012.
The Swiss report said tests on the body showed “unexpected high activity” of polonium, which “moderately” supported the poisoning theory.
Polonium is an effective and convenient poison. When ingested, it causes widespread damage as it passes into organs. Less than 1 gram (0.04 ounces) of the silver powder is sufficient to kill. A 2007 study by radiation experts from Britain’s Health Protection Agency concluded that once polonium-210 is deposited in the bloodstream, its potent effects are nearly impossible to stop.
A poisoning victim would experience multiple organ failure as alpha radiation particles bombard the liver, kidneys and bone marrow from within. The symptoms shown by Litvinenko — nausea, hair loss, throat swelling and pallor — are also typical.
Because polonium emits only alpha particles, it can be safely carried in glass vials and will not set off radiation detectors at airports.