Evicted from hotel, Australian man robbed of phones, wallet; one held

An Australian man lost Rs 1.8 lakh worth of valuables and important documents after three people robbed him on the pretext of helping him file a police complaint against the staff of a hotel.

Aso Hamzehei, 38, who claimed to be the CEO of two companies based in Sydney, is reported to have lost two mobile phones, a wallet containing credit cards and a driving licence, Rs 4,000 in cash and two bags in northeastern Bengaluru’s Kushalnagar on June 23.

Govindapura police have opened a case of robbery or dacoity with an attempt to cause grievous hurt or death. One suspect, identified as Syed Imran, has been arrested.

Aso came to Bengaluru on May 23 on a business trip and rented two places at Manyata Embassy Business Park and Shivajinagar. He stayed at Fortune Inn hotel in Nagavara.

On the night of June 23, when he went to the hotel from his Shivajinagar office, the staff asked him to pay overdue rent for 15 days at Rs 900 per day. Aso said he would pay online but the staff insisted on cash payment. An argument ensued, and he was allegedly beaten up by five staffers.

The commotion drew three men staying in another room. As Aso vowed to go to the police, the trio offered help. They gave him a ride on a scooter but instead of going to the police station, took him to a desolate place at 10th Cross in Kushalnagar.

Another person joined them there. They all pounced on him and robbed him. But Aso threw stones at them, forcing them to flee. He later filed a police complaint.

Bheemashankar S Guled, DCP (East) said: “The victim didn’t have Indian currency to pay the room rent as he was unable to open a bank account in the city. So he insisted on paying online.”

According to Guled, the staff asked Aso to vacate the room if he cannot pay in cash. When he went to the room with the staff, they beat him up. Aso later vacated the room and left with his belongings. The DCP said the hotel staff were booked for assault.