Dutch Tourist Ends Up At Beggars' Shelter Home In Odisha's Bhubaneswar: Know How It Happened

Have you ever had a crazy taxi ride? Well, this tourist from the Netherlands sure did, but it wasn't the fun kind. Imagine exploring a new city, all excited, and suddenly¡ªboom! You're in trouble, thanks to a sneaky taxi driver. That's what happened to one unlucky tourist who got robbed by his taxi driver. And get this, he ended up spending over a month in a shelter home for beggars. Talk about a vacation gone wrong!

Lexica| Representational Image

Dutch tourist robbed and trapped: Taxi driver's foul play

The tourist, Anthony Von Arkel, had checked into a hotel in Puri but was robbed by a taxi driver who subsequently "locked him up" in Bhubaneswar for three days. The incident occurred on January 9 when Arkel was travelling from Puri to Bhitarkanika in a cab to exchange foreign currency.

During the journey, the driver seized Arkel's money when he exited the car. After an altercation, the driver took Arkel to his parental residence, where he was allegedly confined for three days. Arkel lodged a complaint about the incident on January 25, according to a police officer cited by PTI.

Unsplash| Representational Image

Arkel recounted his ordeal, stating, "With some youths' help, I returned to Puri via Bhubaneswar. I then went to the police and filed a complaint."

Having very little money left, Arkel disclosed to the news agency that he resided in a shelter home for beggars from January 25 until March 1. Following media coverage of the incident, the Puri administration arranged for his accommodation in a guest house.

Tourist loves India despite robbery

This marked Arkel's sixth visit to India, during which he expressed his affection for the country, saying, "I love India very much, and this is my sixth visit here. I love the people, nature and the country's temples. People are very friendly, but such an incident can happen anywhere, even in my own country. The media and the state government helped me to get through the situation. So, my love for India remains."

Lexica| Representational Image

In response to the incident, Puri SP Pinak Mishra informed PTI that the accused had been identified and would soon be apprehended.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.