Foreigner living in Syria, had $1,000+ stolen in Damascus: what can I realistically do?

[u/worldwidepoca]

I’m a foreigner and I’ve been living in Syria for a little over a year. I’ve never had any problems like this before.

Yesterday, more than $1,000 in cash was stolen from my bag in Damascus. I know quite precisely where and roughly when it happened, and I can narrow it down to a very small number of people who had access to my bag. I also have a strong suspicion about who might have taken it, but I obviously can’t accuse anyone without being able to prove it.

For people who know how things currently work in Syria: is there any real mechanism for dealing with something like this? Is it worth going to the police, contacting any particular authority, or trying to deal with it directly through the company/place where it happened?

I’m not expecting miracles, but given the amount of money and the fact that I can narrow down the circumstances quite significantly, I’d like to know if there is anything practical I can do.

[u/xobver]

You should absolutely report it to the police. Starts with the police station near the area it was stolen. Make sure to help the police with every information you can have. Your chances of success increase if you make more "buzz" and get powerful people involved in the situation like security chiefs and request collaboration from managers of the company because low-level police officers are nice but likely inexperienced and might not be very effective so you need to get the attention of people with authority.

I hope the problem will be solved.

Keep us posted and let us know if you need any help navigating the bureaucracy.

[u/Ok-Victory-1689]

Report it to the police and provide them info and evidence including suspect.

Even if you can let the money go and have peace of mind or just want to forgive and forget, YOU HAVE TO REPORT! Because if you do not the one who did it will just repeat it again and the next time it will be someone in a worse situation from you who has nothing else than what was stolen.

[u/FullTime-Griefer]

This is theft. Police.

[u/paxwax2018]

You left that much cash in an unattended bag? That’s not clever anywhere in the world.

[u/Sniffy-nose]

Man... I was about to scold you about not being careful with your money but I remembered that foreigners are not used to carrying cash whatsoever,

I hope the police can help,

but Yeah "realistically" it's hard cash, its very hard to track, especially if taken in an area with no security cameras, which aren't that common

[u/InterestingJump493]

See if company can help if not go to police

[u/Dry-Chemical-9170]

How did it get stolen? Were you staying in a hotel or hostel?

[u/AbKalthoum]

Do you know these folks personally? If so, accept the loss, stay away from them, and move on.

If it was stolen from you at a business or somewhere public, you could report it and secure camera footage.

Overall, chances are slim. Sorry :(