Canadian cyclist John Szlazak, who was reportedly kidnapped by villagers and Jan Militia of Sukma in South Bastar of Chhattisgarh, was released late on Wednesday night.
Raja Rathore, a reporter from the local daily Navbharat, played a major role in tracing John from the interiors of Sukma.
Sukma SP Abhishek Meena told reporters that Szlazak is in their custody and added that the tourist will be sent to Raipur with police protection. Szlazak was questioned about his presence in the area.
Director General of Naxal Operations of Chhattisgarh Police D.M. Awasthi said, “We have safely rescued him.”
Szlazak is an adventure enthusiast with a tourist visa to India. The 25-year-old Canadian national left on a bicycle tour from Mumbai on March 14. According to police sources, Szlazak, began his tour from Mumbai to various cities of Maharsahtra and Telangana. He was last interviewed by some people from Kotaguedam in Telangana when he was on his way to Sukma.
Local media reported that the villagers, who were unable to communicate with him in English, grew suspicious of him when he reached at South Bastar. Fearing for his life, Szlazak pressed the secret 'GPS enabled emergency button' of his bicycle which alerted the headquarters back in Canada through a satellite link. The Canadian government in turn contacted External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who through a tweet asked Odisa government to locate the missing cyclist.
Szlazak’s disappearance triggered panic in the government circles of Chhattisgarh. The authorities from the High Commission of Canada and Ministry of External Affairs were in constant touch with the state government.
According to unconfirmed sources, the villagers in Sukma, who detained the tourist, handed him over to the Naxals.
Rathore said when he heard that a foreigner was being held by the locals, he went to Sukma for the story. According to him, when the Naxals were sure that the tourist was innocent, they released him.
He said Szlazak was treated very well by the naxals. The tourist was released after consultation with the top leadership of Naxals who was against holding him captive.
Sukma is in the eye of storm after Maoists killed 12 security personnel a fortnight ago. Police, fearing another Naxal ambush, decided not to send the security force to bring back the Canadian tourist, instead engaged local journalists, traders and businessmen to get him back, sources said.
Earlier in December 2015, three students from Pune were abducted by Naxlas when they had gone on a trip to South Bastar. In 2012, Naxals abducted collector Alex Paul Menon.
