A shocking incident of crime against a foreign tourist has come to light in Punjab's Mohali district, revealing significant lapses in the initial police response. A visitor from Japan was allegedly drugged and robbed of his valuable belongings inside a hotel room in Zirakpur back in October. However, the formal First Information Report (FIR) was registered only recently, after a protracted procedural journey via the national capital.
The Chilling Sequence of Events
The victim, a resident of Yotsukaido City in Japan's Chiba prefecture, arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on October 28, 2025, around 5 pm. At the airport, he reportedly met an individual who introduced himself as Dwipjyoti Roy. After a conversation, the tourist proceeded independently, taking the Metro to New Delhi railway station and boarding a train to Chandigarh.
Upon reaching Chandigarh, the tourist was taken aback to encounter Dwipjyoti Roy again, as per his complaint. The accused then extended an invitation for tea at his hotel room in Zirakpur. The Japanese national accepted the offer. In the room, the two shared tea and conversed, with the discussion reportedly touching upon topics like iPhones.
The Drugging and Theft
The situation took a sinister turn shortly after. The complainant began to feel unusually drowsy and eventually lost consciousness. When he awoke the following day, he found himself alone in the hotel room. A quick check confirmed his worst fears: his iPhone, iPad, credit card, and cash were all missing.
In a state of distress, the tourist approached the hotel staff for assistance in filing a police complaint. Allegedly, the staff did not help him lodge a formal report. They did, however, show him CCTV footage which confirmed that he and the accused had entered the hotel together. Left with no viable option and unsure of the local procedures, the victim took a bus back to Delhi around 4 pm on October 29 to seek help from the Japanese embassy.
The Delayed Path to Justice
Following the embassy's intervention, a 'Zero FIR' was registered at the Chanakyapuri police station in Delhi against Dwipjyoti Roy. A Zero FIR allows any police station to register a complaint for an offence committed outside its jurisdiction and later transfer it to the appropriate station. This FIR was subsequently transferred to Zirakpur for investigation.
The critical and unanswered question remains why it took such a long time for the FIR to be formally registered in Zirakpur after the case was transferred from Delhi. This delay highlights potential gaps in inter-state police coordination and procedural follow-up in crimes involving foreign nationals. The local police are now investigating the case based on the transferred FIR, but the reasons for the initial lag remain unclear.
The case underscores serious concerns about the safety of tourists and the efficiency of legal mechanisms designed to protect them. It also brings into focus the importance of swift action by hospitality staff in aiding victims of crime. Authorities are expected to probe the role of the hotel staff and the circumstances that led to the substantial delay in filing the FIR at the location where the crime actually occurred.
