2 Japanese tourists lose P.4 M to Ativan gang men

Two Japanese nationals lost P400,000 worth of cash and valuables to suspected “Ativan gang” members in Ermita, Manila Friday.

Tatsuya Suzuki and Hiroaki Arai, both 29 years old and billeted at the Prince Plaza II hotel in Makati City, went to the General Assignment Section (GAS) of the Manila Police District (MPD) yesterday after hotel staff advised them to report the incident to the police.

Through an interpreter, the two Japanese told police they were touring Manila near the Hyatt Hotel in Ermita when a man who spoke fluent Nippongo befriended them. The suspect brought them to a house where two women entertained them and offered them two bottles of beer.

The Japanese said they had not finished the beer when they felt dizzy and fell into a deep sleep. When they regained consciousness, they said they were already in their hotel rooms but could not recall how they got back. They also found out that their cash and valuables worth P400,000 were missing, though the suspects had not taken their passports. The Japanese were scheduled to leave the country yesterday.

SPO4 Ferdinand Cantillas, chief of the GAS follow-up unit, believes the Japanese fell victim to “Ativan gang” members, who lace their victims’ drinks with depressant drugs such as Ativan.

Cantillas and his men are conducting follow-up investigation in Ermita to catch the suspects.  – Nestor Etolle