An Argentinian TV reporter reportedly got robbed live on air during the opening days of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Argentinian journalist Dominique Metzger was reportedly conducting a live broadcast interviewing dancing supporters from the Corniche area of Doha during the build-up to the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday, Nov. 20 when the incident happened. The journalist, who works for Argentine TV station Todo Noticias, reported that she had her handbag stolen during the live broadcast, the Mirror reported.
She reported that she lost her credit cards, money, and documents. Even though the pickpocket was not caught on camera, the channel showed the moment he is believed to have struck just out of view while she was speaking to another fan.
"I was dancing with the crowd. I'm convinced it was at that moment when someone opened my bag's zipper and took my wallet," she said.
"I didn't realize then because I was in the middle of the crowd while on air, with loud music and talking to you guys," she added.
Following the robbery, Dominique filed a complaint at a police station in Doha, in a separate area for women only. Officers promised to identify the culprit and told her the Corniche area of the capital was under camera surveillance. However, the authorities asked her what punishment she would like to be imposed on the guilty party after they are caught, the Sun reported.
"I went to the station and that was when the cultural differences began. The policewoman said to me: 'We have high-tech cameras everywhere and we are going to locate him [the thief] with face detection. What do you want the justice system to do when we find him?'" she said.
When she was left confused by the statement and asked for further clarification, the policewoman continued: "What justice do you want? What sentence do you want us to give him? Do you want him to be sentenced to five years in prison? Do you want him to be deported?"
However, she did not request a specific punishment and replied simply that she wanted her lost items safely returned.
Fans are reportedly being monitored by 20,000 cameras and face recognition technology around the eight stadiums in Qatar.
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