HOW SAFE ARE SAIPAN’S HOTELS? Japanese couple robbed inside Hafadai Hotel

Seventy-seven-year-old Seiichi Higa and his wife Hatsu, 74, just came to Saipan last Saturday to visit the island that they have come to love.

Little did they know that their brief vacation will turn out to be a nightmare. The Higa couple were part of the Japanese delegation which arrived on the island on June 3 for the CNMI-Okinawa Friendship Memorial gathering. They left Saipan yesterday afternoon bringing with them a sad and frightening experience.

On June 7 the Department of Public Safety received a call at around 9:50 a.m. to report a robbery at Room 503 where the Higa couple were staying. Two unidentified men held up the hotel guests and fled away with $227 in cash, according to DPS Spokesperson Rose Ada.

Investigation showed that the suspects entered the room of the Higas and demanded money. At first, the Japanese couple thought the two men were from the housekeeping section of the hotel and even handed out a $2 tip, Ms. Ada explained.

However, this had angered the suspects who wanted more than just a tip. Police report showed that one of the suspects hit Mr. Higa’s left arm with a hammer several times, causing him to sustain injuries. But the hotel security investigation said the victim sustained the scratches from a scuffle as he tried to fight back one of suspects armed with a plastic pipe.

Mrs. Higa grabbed the telephone and tried to call the front desk for help but she was stopped by one of the suspects. The suspects then locked the couple inside the bathroom and blocked the door using a small table before they escaped. Later on, Mr. Higa was able to force the bathroom door open and called the front desk for help.

The suspects were described as about 5″5 in height, still in their teens, wearing rubber shoes and with fair complexion.

Hotel personnel immediately reviewed the security camera to find out if the suspects would fit the description of those who used the elevator. They believed that the two men escaped through the fire exit as the alarm went off at that time.

“The hotel security checked the fire exit but did not find anybody,” a hotel employee said in a telephone interview.

Ms. Ada said the police are now looking for the suspects and asking the people’s help for more information that will lead to their immediate arrest.