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The original was posted on /r/india by /u/Plenty-Common-4336 on 2024-09-27 17:21:43+00:00.

Hey r/india I just need to share this crazy experience that happened to me recently. I’m a 19-year-old guy from Nepal, and I’ve always dreamed of traveling to India. I love the culture, the history, and the energy, so I was really excited when I finally got the chance to plan my trip. I was going to visit three cities, starting with Mumbai, then heading to Delhi and Jaipur. I booked my flight for September 15th—a late-night flight to Mumbai.

I landed in Mumbai, and everything seemed normal at first. It was late, around midnight, and I was exhausted from the flight. I had my suitcase, laptop, around 30,000 NPR, 15,000 INR in cash, and some clothes. I booked a hotel online beforehand, so I figured it would be a quick ride there and I could crash.

After walking out of the airport, I was approached by this guy who introduced himself as Ashish. He looked like any other taxi driver, and I was too tired to think much about it. I gave him the address of my hotel, and we got in his car.

It was quiet outside, and the streets of Mumbai felt almost deserted at that hour. I was just staring out the window, thinking how different it looked from Kathmandu. But after a few minutes, I noticed something was off. We weren’t going towards the city center anymore. The lights started fading, and the roads were becoming narrower and darker. My gut was screaming at me that something was wrong, but before I could react, Ashish pulled the car over in this really isolated spot.

Suddenly, he got out, and that’s when things got real bad. Out of nowhere, a couple of other guys appeared. My heart was pounding in my chest. They surrounded the taxi and demanded I give them everything I had—laptop, cash, clothes, all of it. I was frozen.

I had my phone and wallet in the jacket I was carrying in my hand. In a panic, I threw my jacket away as hard as I could, hoping they wouldn’t notice. They didn’t. They were too focused on my suitcase. They grabbed everything else—my laptop, my cash, even the clothes in my suitcase. And then, they just ran off with Ashish, speeding away in the same taxi they picked me up in.

I was left there, in the middle of the night, no money, no suitcase, and no idea where I was.

I started walking, trying to figure out where I could get help. I had my phone and wallet, but that was it. After what felt like hours, I finally found a local who pointed me to the nearest police station.

Let me tell you, I was terrified walking into that police station. I’d heard horror stories about the way tourists are treated sometimes, but to my surprise, the officers were incredibly respectful and understanding. They made sure I was okay and listened to everything I had to say. I sat there for the rest of the night, exhausted but grateful to be somewhere safe.

The next morning, one of the police officers went out of his way to help me book a flight back to Nepal. He even gave me 1500 INR out of his own pocket to make sure I could get food and make it to the airport safely.

I’m still trying to process everything that happened. India is such a beautiful country, and I really don’t want this experience to define my view of it, but it’s hard to shake off the fear and helplessness I felt that night.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? I feel like I got incredibly lucky that things didn’t turn out worse.