Team Herald
PANJIM: The Japanese have a penchant for details. In an interesting advisory by the Consulate General of Japan in Mumbai, Japanese tourists have been warned to be very careful while visiting Anjuna beach.
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The Consulate General has reportedly stated that recently, there have been multiple cases of confinement, fraud and robbery involving Japanese tourists near Anjuna Beach in Goa.
“Due to the relaxation of immigration restrictions due to the novel Coronavirus infection, the number of people travelling overseas is increasing,” the advisory stated.
“As a result, the activities of criminal groups targeting travellers may be increasing, so please be careful,” the advisory issued in the Japanese language added.
In the advisory issued on January 30, the Consulate General has asked Japanese tourists “to remain aware and vigilant of any activities of criminal groups targeting travellers, and implicating them into false cases of banned drug possession and then extorting money from them”
A presser released on a news portal mentions that in 2022, a 59-year-old Japanese tourist was implicated in a case of illegal possession of banned drugs (charas and ganja), and was arrested by Anjuna police. The police had recovered the drugs from a scooter parked outside his rented accommodation.
The North Goa Superintendent of Police (SP), Nidhin Valsan, has, however, denied of having received neither any such communication nor any incident of Japanese being targeted in Anjuna.
“There has been no incident or crime targeting Japanese near Anjuna Beach. Japanese Consulate General in Mumbai has not communicated to Goa Police anything in this regard,” SP Valsan has stated in a tweet.
“If you are contacted by a stranger in a foreign country, please be careful not to easily trust them as they may be suspicious of fraud. Near Anjuna beach in Goa, multiple people colluded, accused travellers of possessing drugs such as marijuana, made them into criminals, and robbed them of cash, smartphones, credit cards, etc. If you are approached by a stranger at your travel destination, be suspicious of them as scammers and avoid joining them,” the advisory has stated.
The Consulate General of Japan in Mumbai has also mentioned its address and other contact details for any Japanese tourists requiring any kind of help.
