Fear of muggers with 'sleep-inducing drugs' spreads online

Social networking sites have proven to be very useful in various situations, from responding to disasters to finding missing persons. Thanks to the speed and ease with which we can share information, such platforms are also ideal for spreading warnings that can help others stay safe.

 

One such warning posted on Facebook has been shared over 10,000 times. After a close encounter with some shady-looking characters, Facebook user Al Rio uploaded her sketch of two men who may have drugged her.

 

"I hope this rough sketch will help catch the criminals. I hope this will help others, especially commuters, to avoid the misfortune of being in the hands evil people. Stay safe, everyone," she wrote.

 

With her sketch, Rio posted her recollection of the incident which occured on December 9 at the platform of Pureza LRT station. She said that while waiting for the train to arrive, she was resting against the railings when she observed two men staring at her. She also noticed a woman several feet away also looking at her. The next thing she knew, she was already at the ledge but the train had already left.

 

Drugged victim?

 

"I must have lost awareness of what happened in between," she wrote. Rio guessed that the men had passed her a "weak but effective drug under her nose" causing her to lose awareness, but were unable to get her onto the train with them because of the woman who was watching.

 

"By the time I reached the train doors, the high-pitched beeping sounds and the guard's whistle must've woken me up," she surmised. 

 

"I quickly checked my things. They were intact. The woman then looked away. Then I suddenly felt nauseous and my chest hurt like as if I was about to have an asthma attack," said Rio, adding that she called in sick the next day. She wrote that she was only able to regain her full faculties after a couple more days, which was when she sat down and began sketching the men's faces.

 

She described one as fair-skinned and well shaved, while the other was squat and dark-skinned.

 

Upon finding out what happened, her mother said she knew someone who experienced something similar, but in this case she lost her jewels and couldn't even remember how or why she gave them to a stranger.

 

In October, there were reports of thieves using sleep-inducing chemicals to rob people in their own homes.

 

No such drug

 

However, one medical expert has allayed public concern over criminals' use of drugs to overpower their victims. Dr. Joyce Santos, an anesthesiologist, doubts that an inhalant with knockout effect actually exists.

 

"No inhalant drug can produce a hypnotic effect. The anesthetic Ketamine induces such an effect, but it is injected into the patient, while another anesthetic, Ativan, is taken into the body by ingestion. Also, both Ketamine and Ativan take effect within 3-5 minutes of consumption," noted Dr. Joyce Santos, an anesthesiologist with over 30 years of experience in the field.

 

Nevertheless, the public has been advised to remain vigilant of robbers, especially in crowded areas.

 

Christmas robbery

 

Incidents of robbery are known to increase during the Christmas season, when crowds are thick and the pressure for money is high. 

 

Criminals are known to use various modus operandi to target their victims, from the subtle so-called Salisi Gangs to brash hold-uppers. A list of the top 10 modus operandi of the most common crimes in Manila can be found here: http://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/48914/top-10-modus-operandi-2011-edition-/1.

 

Since November, the Philippine National Police has been on heightened alert in preparation for the Christmas rush, especially in ports, airplanes, bus terminals, LRT and MRT stations, and mall areas. — TJD/ELR, GMA News