Indian police trying to recover the body of John Allen Chau, the American man killed while trying to tell a remote tribe "Jesus loves you," withdrew their boat over the weekend in fear they'd be attacked.

On Saturday, a police boat about 437 yards away from the off-limits island in North Sentinel turned back after seeing tribesmen on the beach armed with bows and arrows, according to the Agence France-Presse.

"They stared at us and we were looking at them," regional police chief Dependra Pathak told AFP.

Officials believe they have a general idea of where Chau's body is buried, because of information provided by fishermen who took the 27-year-old near the island on Nov. 17. The fishermen, who Chau paid $325 to take him close to the island, say they saw the tribespeople drag Chau's body along the beach and bury his remains.

Seven people accused of helping Chau reach the island were arrested.

Indian government regulations forbid interaction with the Sentinelese, who are known to shoot arrows at outsiders. P.C. Joshi, an anthropology professor at Delhi University who has studied the islands, said the isolated tribe has little resistance to diseases and could die from contact with outsiders.

Chau was a graduate of Oral Roberts University, a Christian college in Oklahoma. In diary entries he left behind, he said he felt called to "declare Jesus to these people."

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In 2006, the bodies of two fishermen killed by the tribespeople were buried, and days later dug up and propped upright. Authorities apparently never recovered those bodies and there is a fear that Chau's remains might never be brought back.

Chau's family said in a statement that they forgive those who are responsible for his death.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets