1. Incident Overview
- Date: Monday, March 28
- Location: On the highway (Route 45) from Querétaro City to Salamanca City, around 9:30 AM, near Celaya City
- Details: The Japanese nationals, traveling with a driver, experienced a flat tire after running over an object on the highway and stopped on the shoulder of the road (another vehicle was also stopped nearby due to a flat tire, with two more vehicles stopped further away). While the driver was changing the tire, two male assailants armed with a knife and a machete emerged from a nearby field and demanded the victims’ smartphone and wallet. The victims had cash and cards divided into two separate places; they handed over only the wallet containing the smartphone and cash. The assailants also targeted another stopped vehicle in the same manner before fleeing. The victims only lost their smartphone and cash, and neither the driver nor the Japanese nationals were injured.
2. Precautions
- (1) Be aware that criminals may use spikes or other means to intentionally cause a flat tire and then attack when you stop. In urban areas, drive to a safe place such as a gas station or convenience store before addressing the issue. On highways, if there are no safe places to pull over, try to drive away if possible or check for suspicious individuals or vehicles before changing the tire.
- (2) If you encounter a robbery, avoid sudden movements or resistance, as it may escalate the situation. The assailants might have hidden weapons or accomplices nearby, so exercise extreme caution.
- (3) To minimize losses, carry cash and cards separately. Be aware that criminals may break windows to steal bags left in the front or rear seats, so keep your bags out of sight, such as in the footwell of the passenger seat.
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