A first date arranged through a popular dating app turned into a nightmare for a young man in Bogotá, Colombia. According to local reports, the victim agreed to meet another man at a well-known bar in the Zona T, a trendy strip of restaurants, bars and shops in the Chapinero district known for its nightlife.
Security cameras from the venue captured part of what happened next. After sharing a couple of cocktails and briefly stepping away to the restroom, the young man began to feel disoriented, gradually losing track of time and eventually his consciousness altogether.
He later woke up hours afterward in a hospital on the south side of the city, with no memory of how he got there or what had transpired in between. “I remember drinking two cocktails, and after that I don’t recall anything until the next day,” he told a local news outlet.
Investigators suspect the victim was drugged with scopolamine, a substance sometimes referred to as “devil’s breath.” It’s derived from certain plants and has been used in criminal schemes in Colombia for decades, since it can leave victims conscious enough to follow instructions—such as handing over cash or unlocking phones—yet with little to no memory of the event afterward.
Authorities are investigating the case as part of a broader pattern of robberies linked to dating apps. You can read the full original report from El Tiempo for more details on the investigation.
Source: Así fue el 'modus operandi' de quien robó a un joven en la Zona T de Bogotá tras una cita de aplicación (eltiempo.com).
Image: Yahoo Inc, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).