Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; July 31, 2018)

For most of us, holidays mean fond memories that will last a lifetime. But sadly, that wasn’t the case with Patralekhaa, who was recently vacationing in Scotland with her parents. The actress lost her passport, bag, credit cards and valuables while shopping at a local market. Now back in the bay, Patralekhaa says returning home would have been a nightmarish experience had it not been for a well-connected friend, who came to her rescue.

“I was shopping with my mother in a store, when I spotted a nice jacket. So, I kept my bag on the counter and tried the jacket. However, a few moments later, when I turned around to pick up my purse, it wasn’t there. The shop was crowded, and it took me a few minutes to realise that someone had stolen my bag,” she recalls.

Patralekhaa reached out to the store manager and also lodged a complaint with the nearest police station, but her bag couldn’t be traced. “That bag had my passport, which had multiple entry visas, my wallet, phone, credit cards, cash and some valuables. In fact, my phone was ringing for a while before the thief switched it off. I am really upset, because a lot of things in that bag, including the bag itself, was gifted to me. What also bothered me is the fact that no one, including the authorities, bothered to help me. I have never felt more helpless in my life. Thankfully, my parents had money with them. What would I have done otherwise?,” she rues.

Finally, Patralekhaa reached out to her friend, singer Raageshwari Loomba, who helped her get in touch with the Indian High Commission. That made it easier for her to get a fresh passport issued and travel back home. “Things went off smoothly, because Raageshwari came to my rescue,” the actress sums up.