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Belgian loses P1-M to Ativan Gang
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 03/06/2012 5:18 PM | Updated as of 03/06/2012 10:14 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Authorities have asked tourists to be careful in the wake of what seems to be operations by the Ativan Gang.
The Ativan gang is known for different modus operandi targeting tourists and locals in order to steal their valuables.
In Manila, three tourists have reportedly become the victims of the gang in a period of two weeks.
One Belgian national recently lost 15,000 Euro or almost P1 million.
It was Dr. Lilianne Van Haeren’s first time in the Philippines. The 52-year-old veterinarian Van Haeren was no stranger to traveling alone. On a trip to the Malate Church, she was befriended by two women who invited her on a trip to Tagaytay the next day.
“They asked me if I was alone, if I was a tourist, how long I want to stay in the Philippines. They won my trust because they were very friendly. I said yes to their dinner invitation, and went to Tagaytay together for one day,” Van Haeren said.
The two women then said that if she wanted to tour the Northern Philippines, they would be happy to accompany her.
They would be her tour guides, and would need P10,000 from her to pay for transportation, food and accommodations.
“They asked me when we come back to Manila, if I want to go with them for travel for 10 days in north Philippines. It costs P1,000 for one day, P10,000 for 10 days. I said yes. Monday, February 6, we go,” Van Haeren said.
However, the two women brought two more women and one man with them on their trip to the north, bringing their group to seven people. They went to Dagupan, Baguio and Banawe, and after three days, to Cabanatuan City.
Vacation gone wrong
On February 9, in a hotel in Cabanatuan, Van Haeren woke up late and feeling very dizzy. Her companions were gone.
“I didn’t open my pouch. I think my money was inside, 15,000 Euro. I asked the hotel where are the people, they say oh, they go away at 4 a.m. I don’t understand why they go like this. I came back by bus to Manila,” Van Haeren said.
When she got back to Manila, she opened her pouch and found that her money was gone. She said that she may have been given a drug, which is why she slept so long. She did not hear anybody come into her room.
Before they left, the suspects deleted pictures of themselves in Van Haeren’s camera. However, the files were recovered, and Van Haeren printed out the photos.
Authorities said that the six may have been members of the Ativan gang.
Tourists as targets
The Manila Police District’s (MPD) blotter showed that in a span of three weeks, four tourists became the victims of the same modus operandi that Van Haeren fell for.
One of the victims, 19-year old Tatsuya Kato from Japan, reported the same number of people that Van Haeren said drugged her: one man and five women.
According to the MPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), the Ativan Gang first became active in the 1980s, and they never went out of circulation because they have an “easy” modus operandi, using a minimum of resources. The only things needed are fast talking and tranquilizers.
According to Chief Inspector Edgardo Carpio, chief of the CIDU, the medicine used may have been lorazepam, which is usually prescribed to calm down hysterics. “Nawawalan sila ng malay at lakas, hindi makatayo. [Maaaring dinikdik muna ang gamot tapos] dinaan sa kwentuhan bago ilagay sa inumin [ng biktima],” he said.
Carpio added that gang members usually target tourists traveling alone.
“Nag-iikot sa ating tourist spot sa Kamaynilaan. Kakaibiganin. Once na nakaibigan niyan, aayain sa snacks, magpapakitang bait para makuha ang trust and confidence,” he said.
Reward
The US Embassy said that in 2010, five Americans fell victim to the Ativan Gang in a span of 10 months. Because they were tourists and only stayed in the country for a short period of time, the victims were not able to press charges against suspected gang members.
Van Haeren, however, said that she will stay in the Philippines until the suspects are caught.
“If somebody will give me information, I will give a big reward. Malaking pabuya,” she said.
She has posted wanted posters of the man and five women who went with her to Cabanatuan in several places in Manila, and warned tourists to be wary.
“It’s enough, I want to catch them. I want the help of the Filipino people. Alone I can do nothing, but together we will be stronger,” Van Haeren said.
- From a report by Maan Macapagal, ABS-CBN News