A 25-year-old Canadian tourist has gone missing in the Maoist insurgency-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
Superintendent of Police, Sukma, Abhishekh Meena, however, confirmed that John Schlazak was present in an interior area of the district. He reportedly left Mumbai on a motorcycle on March 14 and reached Bastar two days ago. The Chhattisgarh police ruled out abduction.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had tweeted that a Canadian national had been abducted in the Koraput district of Odisha.
However, within hours of her tweet, it was learnt that Mr. Schlazak was last seen in a village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, prompting the Chhattisgarh police to send teams of local villagers in his search.
“Yes, he is here [in Sukma]. Since this is an unknown area for him and he also has language problems, some villagers reportedly stopped him and inquired about his identity. He is safe and sound. His last location was Singamadgu village under the Chintagufa police station of Sukma. We have sent some local traders inside to send a message that this man has no connection with the police or any Central agencies and that he is a neutral citizen of a foreign country and that he be allowed to go,” said the Sukma Superintendent of Police.
