Puri: An elderly tourist from the Netherlands, stranded in Odisha’s Puri for about two months after allegedly being robbed of all cash by a cab driver, has sought the Odisha government’s help to return home.
The Dutch national has stated that while his ticket to the Netherlands via Nagpur and Qatar has been booked for March 15, he has no money to go to Nagpur from Puri.
According to sources, the Dutch national, identified as Anthony Von Arkel (72), landed in Bhubaneswar on December 18 and hired a cab to tour Jajpur, Taptapani, Gopalpur, Chilika, and Puri where he arrived on January 9.
He stayed at Hotel Toshali in Puri and the next day as he was short of cash, he went by a cab (number OD-02-BU-8723) to Bhubaneswar and got Rs 3.87 lakh in exchange for his foreign currency. He left for Bhitarkanika and Similipal by the same cab and on the way near Chandbali got down to attend nature’s call. When he returned after relieving himself, he found the bag empty. The driver said he was unaware of it and that led to an altercation between the two.
Anthony was enraged and the driver pacified him and took him to his relatives’ house in a slum in Bhubaneswar where they stayed on January 11 and 12. Later, he took Anthony to his two-storey house in Baliapanda area of Puri. He then told the Dutch national that he had received a call from someone in Mumbai who had assured him that he would return the cash and they should go to Mumbai to get it. He made Anthony board a train to Delhi instead of Mumbai and said he was in the coach next to him.
Anthony reached Delhi instead of Mumbai and could not find the driver anywhere. Somehow, with some youths’ help, he returned to Puri via the same train and filed a complaint at Baliapanda and Town police stations.
Police searched the house of the accused and seized the cab though the driver has not yet been arrested. No cash was found.
Anthony’s diamond ring and camera too are missing.
“I was not just looted but also duped by the accused. I landed up in Delhi instead of Mumbai,” Anthony told the media.
Initially, Anthony had to stay in a shelter home for street beggars but the district administration has made arrangements for his stay at Panthanivas in Puri, sources added.
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