Robbed by cab driver in Puri, stranded Dutch national seeks Odisha Govt’s help

Puri: In a shameful incident questioning the safety of foreign nations coming to Puri to visit the Jagannath Temple, an elderly man from Netherlands, who has been stranded in the pilgrim town for nearly two months, has sought the Odisha government’s help to return back to his country  after he was reportedly robbed of all cash by a cab driver. The Dutch national, identified as Anthony Von Arkel (72), was not just looted but also hoodwinked by the accused into landing up in Delhi instead of Mumbai on the pretext of reclaiming his lost items.  In his appeal to the government, Anthony stated that while his tickets to Nagpur-Qatar-Netherlands has been done for March 15, he has no money to go to Nagpur from Puri.

As per report, Anthony landed in Bhubaneswar for an Odisha tour on December 18. He then hired a cab and toured Jajpur, Taptapani, Gopalpur and Chilika before arriving at Puri on January 9. In Puri, he stayed at Hotel Toshali. The next day, as he needed cash and had to convert the foreign currency, he booked a cab bearing number OD-02-BU-8723 and went to Bhubaneswar. After getting the foreign exchange worth Rs 3.87 lakh done, he took the same cab to visit Bhitarkanika and Similipal. However, when they were near Chandbali, Anthony got down to relieve himself. To his utter shock, he found the bag containing cash empty when he returned. When he questioned the driver, the latter dismissed the allegations.

As Anthony was getting into an argument, the driver somehow pacified him by assuring help and brought him to his relatives’ house in a slum in Bhubaneswar where they stayed on January 11 and 12. The driver then took Anthony to his two-storey house in Puri’s Baliapanda area and told him that he had received a call from Mumbai to reclaim the missing cash. He then made Anthony board a train to Delhi by assuring him  that he was in the next coach but then fled the scene. When Anthony reached Delhi instead of Mumbai and could not find the driver anywhere, he was helped by some Sena Bahini youths and came to Puri via the same train.

Upon reaching, he reached out to police and filed a complaint after which the accused driver’s house was searched. Not just cash, but Anthony’s diamond ring and camera too were missing. While they seized the cab, the driver has not yet been arrested, police said.

Meanwhile, Anthony was initially put up in a shelter home for street beggars but the district administration made arrangements for his accommodation at Panthanivas acting on his complaint at Baliapanda and Town police stations.

While social activists have demanded safe return of Anthony back to his home country, the tendency of local miscreants taking advantage of vulnerability of foreign nationals has tarnished the image of tourism in Odisha.