Kenyan-Swiss Woman Drugged and Robbed in the Philippines

A Kenyan-Swiss woman on vacation in Manilla, the Philippines was drugged, robbed and left lying by the roadside by a group of women that had promised to show her the city.

A Swiss woman of Kenyan descent, identified by the initials of her names, M. F., had last month gone to Manila to visit a friend and to get to know the city.

During one of her tours of the city, she met four Filipino women who offered to show her the city.

“They were really nice and told me they wanted to show me the “true” Manila,”says F.

When they suggested they take her to see the local market, F. agreed assuming that nothing would happen to her being that they were moving around in public.

“Being an adventurous person I was pleased to go along with them to get to know more of their local culture.”

An image of the charge sheet from the police in Manila.

The visit to the market was interesting followed by a visit to a restaurant in the market to try out the cuisine. Everything had gone well until they chose to leave. The ladies convinced F to share a taxi to cut the cost. It is while in the taxi that the women would offer F. slices of mango they had been carrying with them.

“The women persuaded me to have the mango but I refused and they forced me to. After a few bites, I felt black and lost consciousness.”

She would later be found by two students lying unconscious on a street near the university and was taken to hospital where she spent two days in bed.

“I was exhausted, tired and could barely stand. They [the 4 Filipino women] stole my wallet and phone. Luckily, nothing else happened”

At the hospital F learned that the Mango had been peppered with benzodiazepine, a quick acting sedative that induces sleep and relaxes the muscles.

Fortunately, the police were able to identify the women involved and arrest them.

“In retrospect, I am annoyed by my own naivety, “F. says.

Although, F. is sharing her story to ensure other tourists don’t fall for the same prank, the incident has not broken her adventurous spirit.

“I’ll definitely be visiting the Philippines again soon”.