Woman Met on Dating App Invited Home
Committed Crime After Giving Wine Laced with Sleeping Pills
In Argentina, there have been a series of incidents where so-called "Black Widow" women meet men through dating applications and make them drink alcohol or beverages laced with sleeping pills or drugs, then extort money and valuables from them. These women are called Black Widows because the "black widow spider" has the characteristic of the female eating the male after mating. In Korea, a similar term commonly used is "Kkotbaem" (flower snake).
On the 29th (local time), local Argentine media extensively reported on a recent theft incident in the Palermo area of Buenos Aires, highlighting cases where perpetrators used their charm to approach victims and steal money.
The recent Black Widow incident in the Palermo area involved a 61-year-old male victim living in a luxury apartment. According to the initial police investigation, the amount stolen was reported by the media to exceed $100,000 (approximately 130 million KRW).
The male victim met a woman through a dating app called Tinder and invited her to his home that evening. The woman wore a large mask covering her face, which was very unusual in Argentina where mask mandates had been lifted since last year, but the man did not suspect anything unusual.
The two had dinner in the apartment and drank wine brought by the woman. Afterwards, the victim lost consciousness and only woke up 12 hours later.
Waking up with severe headaches and body pain, the man realized that his phone and cash worth $100,000 were missing from the ransacked apartment, and he contacted his son through the apartment security officer.
The victim’s son told local media in an interview that his father is currently experiencing partial memory loss and has not recovered from the shock.
The wine used in the crime was brought by the woman, and tests detected clonazepam, an anticonvulsant and sleeping pill, in the wine. On the same day and in the same area, another incident occurred where two unidentified young foreign tourists in their early 20s were victimized by "Black Widows," losing not only electronic devices and cash but even their shoes.
The foreign tourists met the Black Widows at a nightclub and were invited to their accommodation, where they drank wine laced with sleeping pills and lost consciousness.
Generally, victims of Black Widows have been middle-aged or older men living alone, but recently, young male tourists visiting the area for short-term trips have become targets. Additionally, local media reported that the actual number of victims is likely much higher because victims tend to avoid publicizing the incidents.
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