US warns tourists using dating apps in Colombia risk kidnapping or murder

This US Embassy in Colombia has issued a warning aimed at US citizens using online dating platforms MadeleineAt least after registration Eight deaths Americans During the months of November and December, the city has seen an increase in cases of detention and assault of male tourists after meeting women through dating applications. A warning comes after the discovery of the body Tou Ger XiongA comedian Minnesota with multiple stab wounds and bruises after being thrown from a cliff in a forested area of ​​the city.

Deaths of Americans deemed suspicious by the embassy, ​​often after the victims were drugged, and attacks escalated despite the efforts of authorities. Madeleine To reshape the image of the city, which was becoming the capital of murder in the 90s Pablo Escobar, a tourist destination with a booming nightlife. The city has seen a 97% drop in homicides over three decades, however, a recent wave of crimes against foreigners has tarnished these efforts. Along with the recovery of tourism in the city there has been a strong increase in crime rates directed at the foreign population.which has tried to attract remote workers and people from the technology sector.

Efforts by the authorities to change Madeleine A haven for remote tech workers, especially in the district, is the rising cost of living. town, where Xiong lived and where many crimes have taken place. Increase in rent and number of apartments listed on the application viz Airbnb This is indicative of the event.

There have been robberies and murders of foreign tourists on public roads and inside hotels or rented apartments, after confronting local women about the circumstances surrounding the recent deaths. Additionally, some deaths are believed to be caused by it A combination of excessive alcohol consumption and drugs that criminal gangs drink to incapacitate their victims before attacking them.

In relation to the tactics used by criminals, the Attorney General’s Office Around 50 people have been detained during 2023 for allegedly collaborating with criminal groups targeting foreigners. Madeleine. In a notable case, 14 members of an alleged criminal network were arrested in September. for its part, William VivasA high-ranking official in Medellin, in charge of handling and investigating citizen complaints, warned of visitors to the city being lured by sex tourism, and particularly likely to be scammed by gangs who use drugs such as scopolamine to commit their crimes.

Regarding the magnitude of the problem, the city authorities declared that Thefts against foreigners tripled during the third quarter of 2023 Compared to the previous year. However, the overall homicide rate has declined sharply, reporting a homicide rate of approximately 13 per 100,000 residents in 2023, compared to a rate of 395 per 100,000 in 1991.

family of Xiong He expressed that he never talked about using dating apps, but mentioned to his brothers about a girl he met. Madeleine In July.

But his dec. 10 Hours after the appointment, according to prosecutors, he called family and friends to send him $2,000, telling them he had been kidnapped and was demanding a ransom. The next day, police found Xiong’s lifeless body, with multiple stab wounds and bruises, after he was thrown from an 80-meter-high cliff next to a river in a leafy, wooded area of ​​the city.

In the end, two men, a woman and a 17-year-old teenager were arrested for Xiong’s kidnapping and murder.