Two Israelis in their 20s, Yoav Paz and Oren Avidan, say they were drugged and robbed in Lima, Peru, after meeting two local women while returning from a late-night party. The men, who have been traveling in South America after military service, said the encounter seemed normal at first and that the women appeared “the most cute and normal” they could imagine.
Avidan told N12 that they bought a bottle of whiskey and continued drinking with the women on the way back to their hostel. He said he was tired and did not want to drink, but they pressed him to join a drinking game. According to him, they were drinking whiskey with ginger soda, likely so they would not notice the taste of the drug added to the drinks.
He said that by the second glass everything became blurry, and the last thing he remembered was one of the women trying to get his iPhone password. “We were knocked out right there,” he said. The two lost consciousness for about 17 hours and woke up to find their hostel room emptied.
Avidan said he was sure that only a few minutes had passed when he woke up, but there was nothing left in the room. He ran outside to look for the women, even jumping over the hostel fence, before meeting other Israelis who noticed his condition and took him to a local hospital. After medical checks, the pair filed a police complaint.
They said the thieves took everything, including phones, wallets, clothes, backpacks, flip-flops, shoes and even toothbrushes. “They completely cleaned out the room,” Avidan said. The two are now warning other Israeli travelers to be careful, saying they are still recovering and replacing what was stolen.