Canadian-Russian citizen Ildar Rakhmatulin went missing while travelling in Fiji three months ago. Police in Canada and Fiji have opened cases into the disappearance.Courtesy of family
It has been more than three months since Ildar Rakhmatulin, a web developer from Mississauga, vanished in Fiji, leaving his friends and family searching for answers.
Mr. Rakhmatulin, who recently turned 39 and holds Canadian and Russian citizenship, has been travelling the world and was last seen at a hotel in Fiji on April 9. Since then, the only trace of him has been a few belongings left in a yoga studio, and camera footage showing him at the hotel.
His mother was the first to suspect something was wrong. Mr. Rakhmatulin routinely called his mom, who lives in Russia, every three to five days. When she couldn’t reach him, she asked his ex-wife to find out if any of his friends could try to find him.
Alexander Patrushev, a math teacher in Waterloo, Ont., became good friends with Mr. Rakhmatulin while studying at Western University. He said he found out that Mr. Rakhmatulin was missing on April 18, after hearing from the man’s former wife.
Ever since, he’s tried everything he can think of to find his friend. He’s reached out to police in Canada and Fiji, he has spoken with the owner of the hotel, and has scoured the internet looking for clues.
The events that led up to Mr. Rakhmatulin’s disappearance are unusual.
Mr. Patrushev said the hotel owner told him that Mr. Rakhmatulin checked out of the hotel about a half hour after a yoga class on April 9. And video footage from the hotel shows Mr. Rakhmatulin in the class with other hotel guests.
But oddly, some of his belongings, such as flipflops, his cellphone and a small bag, were found in the meditation room after he supposedly checked out.
During one conversation with the owner, Mr. Patrushev said, he mentioned that Mr. Rakhmatulin took a lot of photos during check out, including photos of the reception, which he said the owner thought was unusual.
Mr. Patrushev said earlier information suggested that his belongings were found on the beach, leading many to believe that he may have drowned. Yahoo Australia reported in June that the discovery of his belongings on the beach prompted divers to search the water, but that they did not locate him.
Mr. Patrushev does not know the source of the mix-up, but said yoga takes place close to the beach.
Police in Canada and Fiji have initiated cases, but Mr. Patrushev said it’s been a frustrating process and that from the onset there were delays, with police not acting quickly enough.
Constable Sarah Patten, media-relations officer for Peel Police, said the force currently has an open investigation on Mr. Rakhmatulin, who wasn’t officially reported missing until May 13.
“It was reported that he had been missing for approximately one month, and the reason for concern is that he would typically call his mother every three to five days, and she hadn’t heard from him in over a month,” she said in a statement.
Constable Patten said investigators received information that he is an avid traveller and have continuously communicated with outside agencies to conduct checks and follow-ups but have yet to locate him. She said because it is an active investigation, they cannot provide further details.
Jérémie Bérubé, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said the department is aware of a Canadian missing in Fiji.
“Canadian officials are providing consular support to the family of the Canadian citizen and communicating with local authorities,” he said, adding that because of privacy reasons, he cannot provide more information.
Ildar Rakhmatulin at a yoga session at his Fiji resort before his disappearance.
The Globe and Mail
Russia’s embassy in Australia said that on May 19, it approached Fijian law enforcement authorities “with an urgent request to initiate a search for Mr. Ildar Rakhmatulin and provided the available information, copies of his documents and photographs.”
“We are in contact with the Fijian police as well as Russian nationals in Fiji who are helping us and ready to provide further assistance within our competence if it is required,” said the press team of the Russian embassy.
Mr. Patrushnev said the entire ordeal has been very strange. “Something happened. I don’t know what,” he said, describing Mr. Rakhmatulin as his best friend, someone he could trust and who was always there for him.
“I understood that Ildar is an honest person, somewhat reserved but open-minded. He loves life, he is hardworking and responsible, and can persist for a long time to achieve his goals.”
Yulia Strelnikova, another friend of Mr. Rakhmatulin’s, said that she met him in London, Ont. She hasn’t spoken with him in a few years, but said they kept in contact through social media.
Ms. Strelnikova said that she’s friends with Mr. Patrushnev, who told her about Mr. Rakhmatulin’s disappearance.
“It’s so weird. I know he’s a very cautious person,” she said, adding that she has doubts about a theory that he went swimming in unknown waters and never returned. “He’s very careful, always has been,” she said.
Ms. Strelnikova described him as a very nice and curious person who has a bright spirit.
“We all want to find Ildar, or at least what happened to him. He had an impact in all of our lives because he was a very nice friend and supportive,” she said.