1. Incident Overview
- Date: January 8, 2022
- Time: Around 5:30 AM
- Location: Downtown Campana City, Buenos Aires Province
- Items Stolen: Mobile phone (smartphone)
- Details:
- The victim, a Japanese business traveler, was waiting for a taxi at the hotel. Due to the taxi’s delay, the victim left the hotel and waited on the sidewalk. While checking the time on their phone, two men on a motorcycle approached, brandished a gun, and stole the victim’s phone before fleeing. The victim was not physically harmed.
2. Precautions
- (1) Business travelers, being unfamiliar with local conditions, should be closely accompanied by local staff to ensure their safety. For instance, arrange to meet in the hotel lobby when being picked up.
- (2) Avoid going out during late night to early morning hours when pedestrian traffic is low.
- (3) Mobile phones, being easily resold, are often targeted by thieves, including motorcycle robbers. Do not assume it is safe to use or take out your phone in public, even if locals are doing so.
- (4) Argentina has a high prevalence of firearms, including illegal ones. In the event of a robbery, comply with the perpetrators’ demands without resistance to avoid escalation.
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