Spanish man loses over P40K to new ‘friends’

A SPANISH man working in Manila lost more than P40,000 to his newfound Filipino friends who turned out to be members of the Ativan Gang.

Jose Pedro Bosch, 44, lost the 600 euros (over P32,000) in cash he had in his wallet in addition to 181 euros (over P9,000) withdrawn from his debit cards, he told the police on Sunday morning.

According to case investigator PO3 Jayjay Jacob of the Manila Police District, Bosch was walking to Rizal Park around 2 p.m. on Friday when an unidentified man approached him and befriended him.

Bosch, who is working in Manila as an economist, told the police that he was invited to a nearby bar by the man who introduced to three other persons, a man and two women.

After a drinking spree, Bosch said his new friends invited him to try out another place. They boarded a taxi where he was given a beer. After he drank it, he immediately fell asleep.

Bosch said he woke up in a hotel on M.H. del Pilar Street on Saturday and found his money and debit cards missing. His other personal belongings, however, were intact.

The gang was given the moniker by the police for their modus operandi of spiking the drinks of their victims with Ativan, an anti-anxiety drug which can cause sleepiness.