During a vacation in Istanbul, Turkey, actor Ashwath Bhatt was attacked by a robber. In an interview with ETimes, the actor narrated how he was assaulted on Sunday evening, while walking towards the popular tourist location, Galata Tower in the Beyoglu district. He added that despite warnings about pickpockets in Istanbul, he did not expect such a violent encounter.

'They weren’t expecting me to put up a fight'

Ashwath said, "I was walking towards Galata Tower when a man approached me. He had a chain in his hand, and before I could fully comprehend what was happening, he hit me on the back with it. In retrospect, it was likely a gang working in tandem, trying to snatch my bag... for a second, I was so shocked - what’s happening? But I think they weren’t expecting me to resist and put up a fight. While he was trying to snatch my bag, a cab driver stopped and intervened. The robber said something in Turkish and then fled. The cab driver saw my wound and immediately told me to go to the police."

'Nothing like this has ever happened to me'

Ashwath added, "It’s unfortunate that such a thing happened, especially in such a touristy area. People often advise not to get involved and not to report to the police. That word 'unnecessary' troubles me. People watch films and think Turkey is all romantic, but if we don’t report crime, these incidents will only increase. Everybody warned me about pickpockets, but this was beyond anything I had imagined. I’ve been to the Middle East, Egypt, and so many parts of Europe, and nothing like this has ever happened to me."

A complaint is yet to be registered, added the report, as when Ashwath approached a patrol car, he was directed to a police station. Ashwath has worked in films such as IB71, Mission Majnu, Sita Ramam, Raaz Reboot, Rakkhosh, Raazi Phantom, Kesari, and Haider.

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