WHERE IS ILDAR?
■ Family of missing tourist demand answers. ■ Ildar Rakhamatulin, who has dual Canadian and Russian citizenship, has been missing since April. ■ He was last seen at a yoga session at a Coral Coast hotel before checking out.
Where is Ildar Rakhamatulin? Is he alive? Where is he? Those were the questions asked by the families and friends of a missing 38-yearold tourist who allegedly went missing while holidaying on the Coral Coast in April.
There is no sign of his whereabouts, said a close friend Alexandra Pat, who attended the University of Western Ontario with Mr Rakhamatulin.
“The families were very concerned about his wellbeing day and night,” Mr Pat said.
“We, including his mother, are very much concerned about his whereabouts at the moment as we don’t know where he is now,” he said from Ontario.
“My goal was to attract the attention of Canadian and Fiji Police.”
Mr Rakhamatulin, is an information technology (IT) officer who has dual citizenship, Canadian and Russian. He worked for a company in Canada and is believed to be vacationing in the Pacific. He arrived in Fiji from New Zealand, and stayed at a hotel from April 7.
Mr Rakhamatulin contacted his mother on April 8, a day before he checked out.
He checked out at 9.41am on April 9. The footage was confirmed and verified by the hotel director that he was part of a yoga session near the poolside.
He left behind a flip-flop, a blue bag, and a telephone.
The staff at the hotel said that it was fine weather outdoors that day.
Mr Rakhmatulin was fond of taking photos while on the properties.
According to Russian-born Nadi-based businesswoman, Veronika Enemina, she was contacted by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Australia.
It was initiated by Mr Rakhmatulin’s mother and workmates back in Canada.
“I was contacted by a group of Russian friends who are looking for Ildad, they were looking for someone who is Russian living in Fiji, that’s when I was contacted and linked with the police,” said Ms Enemina. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed that the investigation team headed by Divisional Crime Officer West is looking into the report. “Search efforts and investigations are still ongoing,” she said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime (ACP/C) Sakeo Raikaci said some of Mr Rakhmatulin’s belongings were found on the beach. While search efforts continue on land, a team of divers from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) are searching in nearby waters. Police urge anyone who may have information that could assist with the investigation to please call Crime Stoppers at 919.
Meanwhile, back in June 2016, a Russian couple, Yuri Shipulin, a former pilot for the Russian Air Force, and Nataliya Gerasimova were allegedly murdered and their body parts were found washed up at Natadola Beach, Coral Coast. Well-informed sources say there may have been some local involvement in the murder, which had attracted a lot of attention, both locally and internationally.
The Police file regarding the murdered couple was handed to the Director of Public Prosecutions Office.