This is a true story, but there are some minor details that aren’t worded perfectly. I’m not going to spend more time on it, so you get it raw from that time, but the story is worth telling:
Hey Jincy,
I’ve heard from several people, except you, that everything has settled safely, for all of us, which was my primary concern, since the night you were carried back to the hostel, unconscious, by only the staff of Rainbow Linings Hostel, after Loy drove you away on his scooter, alone.
It would mean a lot to me, of you could just confirm your safety for me and that nothing bad was done to you.
Whether you can confirm that or not for me, you should still know what happened.
I’m sorry that Loy used a text I sent him as a tool to ruin the good experience we had talking with each other.
In my culture, men talk to other men about the best ways to handle situations with women, and there is a common language that we men use, that women would find to be offensive, almost always.
Men usually find other men they can trust, and ask them for advice, like I did with Loy. I made the mistake of trusting him to make good decisions about how I should interact with you, so we could all be happy with the results.
Clearly, he was not a trustworthy man for my trust, and he ruined everyone’s experience that he touched, on that night.
Since then, my Indian friends all have told me that I should have put that trust in you. For not doing that, I apologize.
Without knowing it, I put you in a situation with Loy that I didn’t see coming. I also put myself at risk.
I hope you can forgive my cultural ignorance, and I hope you remember that any interaction that you and I had, was all positive.
I’m going to include all the relevant communications I’ve had in this unique experience.
I think that you have a right to know what happened when you were unconscious; not just the picture that Loy painted for you, and which you were forced to agree with, when Loy actually took advantage of you after he got you “drunk,” by his own admission.
Nelson, the owner said he would call me to find out what happened, but he didn’t call for a few days, so I sent him a text. Here is what happened, which I sent to Nelson in response to what happened:
“
I never got your call, but I’m happy to tell you what happened.
At night:
Jincy and I were talking at the bar, along with Alisha and Loy. Mostly it was Loy teasing and making fun of Alisha, which was entertaining, and I said so in a joking way, that they are fighting like a couple fights. They responded negatively to that, which made me realize that they probably were an actual couple and that is why Alisha came back to volunteer with Loy again. I had already seen Loy slap the hip of Jincy and the legs of Alisha in a sexy, playful way.
At the time I didn’t think anything of it.
Jincy and I started having our own conversation while Alisha and Loy play argued.
I had been sitting at the bar for a long time on the bar stools, and my butt was sore, and I suggested that to Jincy that we take our conversation over to the common room, because the cushions over there are more comfortable and it’s quieter. She happily agreed, followed me over and I sat down on the bench with the red cushion that faces away from the kitchen. Jincy was still standing and about to sit somewhere when there was an awkward flurry of staff turning on all the super bright lights in the common room, which has a sort of disturbing and blinding effect at midnight.
I said “no, no, no, we don’t want the lights on because they are too bright.” I explained, “We came over here because it’s calm and relaxing,” as the guys walked away, I asked Jincy if she wanted me to keep the lights on and she said she wanted them off too, because they were too bright, so I switched the lights off, like they were before. There was plenty of ambient light already from the kitchen area and where the bathrooms are. It was far from “dark.” I’m sure you are familiar.
Now that I wasn’t blinded by the lights, I noticed that Jincy had sat on one of chairs that faces the kitchen. Those chairs had no cushion and I felt a bit guilty, as the cushion was my primary reason for moving to the common area in the first place and I had “taken” the bench with the cushion. I told her she didn’t have to sit on the hard chair and I suggested that she should sit on the bench with the cushion, and she did. Those benches are not small and we weren’t even sitting in reaching distance to each other. We were on opposite sides of the bench.
For a few minutes we had a nice conversation, until Loy, kept mildly shouting something at her. She was annoyed so she ignored him and we kept talking. Loy didn’t stop. Eventually, she briefly went over to the bar area to see what he was fussing about.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this is probably the point where he started lying to her about me and building a negative narrative about me using a text message I’d sent him 40 minutes prior.
I had sent Loy a text about 40 minutes prior, while we were face to face at the bar, which read “What can I do to have sex with this girl, without offending her or anyone else?”
Jincy seemed to like me a bit and I liked her a bit. I’m new to India and to Indian customs and I’m not familiar on the process of taking things to the next level, without offending anyone. Obviously, Loy has had sex with guests, and I thought he would give me some pointers on the etiquette leading up to it, here in India. Boy was I wrong.
While I was still in the common room, I heard Loy and Jincy quietly arguing near the bar for a bit, but at some point it seemed like it was quiet. I went to the bar area to see what had transpired. That’s when I saw Loy on his scooter and Jincy on the back of it.
This is the first moment I had that made me realize Loy’s strange behavior. As far as I was aware, Jincy had only known Loy for one day, and now, after he and she had been drinking, Loy was taking her on his scooter, alone, at 12:21am.
I though this was very strange and likely dangerous for many reasons. I did motion to Jincy from the bar area giving her a question thumbs up and yelling, “You are ok with this?” She didn’t look comfortable, but she did nod that she was fine with it. Then they drove off.
That was all a bit suspicious to me. I sat at the bar and the soccer coach guy was there and he looked more uncomfortable than I was. I asked him if he thought that Jincy would be safe with Loy or if we should get the authorities involved. He said she would be fine. Alisha said she would be fine. I was skeptical, but she willingly went with him 🤷♂️
Then I looked at my phone and saw Loy’s reply to my text, “Never text me again. We run a hostel not a brothel house.”
Super weird, because as I said, when Loy read my text to him, it was only him and me face to face at the bar. He could have asked me what I meant by my text or said something to me immediately. I sent my original text to him at 11:43pm. He had immediately read my text at 11:43pm, but didn’t respond to it until 12:19am, which was 2 minutes before driving off with Jincy.
I asked the soccer guy if my original text was offensive, he said it was probably a cultural misunderstanding. I was relieved until I asked him why Loy was acting so strange. He said he didn’t want to talk about it. More red flags in my mind.
Loy and I had a series of texts back and forth where he accuses me of saying things I didn’t say, like “I got offended when you said ‘girls like these are prostitutes back there,’” but otherwise uneventful. I never said any such thing, and frankly, I don’t even know what he is referring to in this statement, and I let him know.
One guy joke that I did say before any of this started was, “I WOULD PAY to have sex with HER.” This is actually a compliment to the woman, meaning she is pretty enough that you wouldn’t expect her to give sex away for free. This joke requires the proper understanding of intonation and emphasis to be understood correctly, so I think Loy may have taken what I said, literally, and not gotten the joke.
More than 42 minutes later, Loy is back and Jincy is being carried in completely limp and completely unconscious. 😳
Loy, Soccer Guy, and Alisha all of a sudden started acting weird, angry, and shooing me away from Jincy as they ushered her past the bar and what I assumed was to her dorm and her to her bed.
All I could think of was what the fuck did Loy do while he was alone with her for so long and why was he being so rude and aggressive with me?
This is where I really was scared, not just for her, but also because Jincy was the only other non-employee that saw Loy’s strange behavior, and she was now unconscious. Loy had already accused me “taking advantage of someone being drunk,” via text message, which was patently false. I wondered what narrative he might spin to turn the attention away from what he did that night.
I never touched Jincy or did anything inappropriate with her, but Loy has slapped her body, drove her alone after midnight for more than an hour, and even if she passed out only from 2 BroCodes, he is the one that served them to her.
With Jincy unconscious, Loy and Alisha start being irate with me as if I had done something wrong. Big red flags all over the place. Loy eventually tells me to go to my dorm room and go to sleep, as if I were a child or something. I refused. I said I’ll stay at the bar until I’m tired. This made him more mad. I asked for another drink and he said no. More red flags. I didn’t know why he did what he did with Jincy or why he was angry, but it was all very suspicious and strange.
As Loy kept escalating, he eventually asked me to leave the hostel at around 2am. I resolved to call the police, because clearly he wanted me gone, because I was the only non-employee witness to all this strangeness. If Jincy was raped by Loy or she died in her sleep or something, then Loy could make up any story he wants and get away with it. The other employees would back him under threat.
The police arrived, and they said they don’t speak any English. So, that’s was pretty useless, but I was able to say there was an unconscious girl they should check on. This is where I first found out that they hadn’t taken Jincy to her dorm. They had put her in the common room.
I had the policeman confirm that Jincy was ok, but she could’t talk, just move her head, barely. This wasn’t sufficient for me, but there was nothing else I could do. At least there should be a police report filed by the police officer, if they even do that sort of thing.
Loy still wanted me to leave, but the policeman convinced him to let me stay the night.
After the police left, Loy and Alisha continued to be hostile, with Loy telling me I was an asshole and that I should “fuck off,” and I responded in kind. Because I wanted to stay in the bar area, Loy eventually asked me to leave immediately. He and the soccer guy went through a series of physical threats and started physical attacks, accosting me and my things, including threatening me with a white stick. I paid 2000 rupees which I owed for 4 nights, but refused to pay for the last night because I was being forced to leave. I eventually left around 4:40am.
“
Here is my Google Maps review:
“
The good:
Bathrooms and rooms are clean. Price is great and includes breakfast. The AC works. They have a ping pong table and the vibe was good. Not too much loud music. Food was good.
The bad:
Everyday they turn off the AC from 10:30am to 1pm, and they open all the windows. This does seem to help air out the dorm, but it’s also inconvenient if you stayed up late and want to sleep in with the AC turned on.
The Ugly:
The most interesting part of my stay was being physically threatened by a guy who claims his name is Loy and who acts like the manager, but claims he doesn’t work for the hostel. He serves all the drinks and tells all the other staff what to do.
I had a great time for a week, until on a Sunday night, another guest and I decided to go sit in the non-smoking, common area with cushions and tables, away from the bar where this Loy guy was. This Loy guy follows us and turns on all the lights at the common area. We both explained to this Loy guy that we specifically went away from the bar so we could take advantage of the thicker cushions, the lack of bright lights, and the opportunity to have a slightly more private conversation, away from Loy. This made Loy very angry, but I did not know this yet.
The Loy guy went back to the bar and then after a few minutes, he started yelling at the girl I was talking to, from where he was, at the bar. This Loy guy was interrupting our conversation and he seemed flustered. She was also confused at why this Loy guy was yelling at her from the bar, like she was a dog. It was strange and pretty rude, but eventually she obliged him and then went over to talk to him, briefly. I assumed she was coming back to sit down, but then I heard some quiet arguing from the bar which was strange, so I walked towards the bar area, where I noticed the Loy guy had put her on the back of his scooter. She looked uncomfortable, but not afraid. I asked her if she was ok, and she happily acknowledged back. She had had only two beers that Loy had served her and although Loy had rudely and strangely interrupted our conversation, with no explanation, I wasn’t overly concerned at that point as Loy drove her away, around midnight.
I became more concerned after another staff member manned the bar, and he looked very uncomfortable. I asked him why and he said he didn’t want to talk about. That’s a red flag.
That got me thinking what purpose did Loy have of driving this girl, who he later claimed was “drunk,” for scooter rides at midnight.
Loy and I texted back and forth while he was out with this girl, but what he wrote didn’t make much sense, and he also accused me of saying things I didn’t say, which was odd, but it gets worse.
I would be very careful if you are a solo woman staying at this hostel, and Loy is still working there, unless you are intentionally looking for a male staff member to drug you or get you drunk and then take you for hour long scooter rides at midnight only to return, passed out, unconscious, carried in, and placed not in a bed, but in the common area of the hostel.
Loy was very angry, insulting and aggressive when he got back with this unconscious girl. He kept telling me to go to sleep or go to the dorm room like he didn’t want me to know what he did to this girl, but I wasn’t tired and there was no reason to leave the common area. This made him angrier. More red flags.
I called the police because I was concerned about what happened with the girl and wanted to make sure she was ok. She wasn’t even able to talk when Loy brought her back, but the cops that arrived didn’t seem concerned once she was able to nod her head.
I don’t know what Loy did to this girl but the whole ordeal was very suspicious. Eventually, I left the hostel after a series of minor assaults from Loy who grabbed my arm several times and grabbed my backpacks while I was wearing them. He even threatened to beat me with a stick that he specifically brandished to intimidate me.
All in all, it was a new experience for me. The rest of the staff were fine, but Loy was bad news.
“
Here is the full transcript between me any Loy, that night:
This is Nelson’s response to what I wrote to him:
“
Hello Erick, Good afternoon! Allow me to introduce my work. I’ve been running a hostel for 6 years, and for an additional 5 years, I worked within the same industry as an operations manager. Even when I’m not physically present at the hostel, I regularly monitor the common areas through the surveillance cameras we’ve installed. This step aligns with the safety guidelines set by the Goa Police and the terms and conditions of the online reservation system. This helps me stay informed about the ongoings within my business.
In response to your initial message, Loy, let me assure you that if you were to share that message with any authority in India or even across South-East Asia, the response would likely same as Loy’s reaction. Different countries have diverse ways of communication sometimes cultures and sometimes for someone’s safety. While in your country, starting a conversation might involve being direct, here in Asia, we tend to focus on building connections. We engage in conversations, spend time together, and gradually get to know each other. This approach paves the way for couples to move forward when they’re comfortable. (I mention Asia specifically because I’m an offbeat traveller who’s explored many non-touristic spots and connected with locals, giving me insights into the culture.)
Let’s clear up any misconceptions about Alisha. She was my guest, and I’m well-acquainted with both her and her boyfriend. There was nothing between Loy and Alisha. Playful teasing, jokes, and even outings with guests are all part of the vibrant hostel scene in Goa. I engaged in similar activities during my time as a manager. However, it’s essential to note that these interactions are purely part of the work environment and do not involve taking advantage of any situation
In India, our guests are treated with the utmost respect, often likened to gods. We go to great lengths to ensure their happiness. I acknowledge that Loy’s request for you to leave in the middle of the night was incorrect, and I apologize for any inconvenience caused. On the other hand, when travelling to a foreign country, especially a culturally diverse place like India, it’s wise to be cautious about the text and expressions you use.
The following morning, I had a lengthy conversation with Jincy and everyone at the hostel, including Alisha. All matters were resolved, and Jincy explained that she felt a bit intoxicated due to her unfamiliarity with alcohol. I also reviewed the surveillance footage to corroborate events.
Regarding the incident with Jincy, it’s important to note that Loy’s decisions were made based on the circumstances. It seems you harbour concerns about our staff, including references to Seby, Aliaha, and Loy. Running a business entails maintaining a comfortable and friendly atmosphere for guests. Acting inappropriately, especially involving alcohol, could tarnish the reputation of any establishment, particularly in India, where such matters are significant.
As you mentioned earlier, you observed Shruti and Seby responded well on your day, right? It’s all because we wanted to keep the place more friendly and welcoming but at the same time we do take care of our limits and safety. Each country has its unique cultural norms. While some things may be common in the USA, they may not be the same in India.
We loved having conversations with you on many different topics even though my wife enjoyed a good conversation on your day one evening. I wasn’t expected things will go in a different direction. Well, being human we always learn from each other and ill take this as a lesson again thank you for your taking care of Jincy and writing to me here. I wish you good luck and maybe we meet again somewhere around the world. Stay safe and enjoy your holiday Erick🙏🌸
“
My response to him was:
“
Thanks for your response and care. I also did not expect anything to change after having such a great time at your hostel. I’m glad nothing seriously bad happened to anyone. It certainly was a learning experience for my journey in India. Thanks for your perspective.
I have talked to a few Indians about what happened and will incorporate your advice with theirs in the future.
“
Jincy, clearly, you are a special person, by unintentionally having so many people who’s lives you affected in just one night 😄
Never forget that this wasn’t your fault, but also don’t forget that this was in your control, the whole time, until you went unconscious.
I will never forget you or this experience, and I doubt that any of the other people involved will forget you, either (except for maybe the police 😜).
Like Nelson said to me, and I agree, stay safe, maybe we meet again, and enjoy your holiday. Happy 15th!
-Erik Stone
On Aug 10, 2023, at 2:57 AM, Kite Wizard <kitewizard@gmail.com> wrote:
I sent you a text on what’s app a couple days a go, but didn’t hear a reply, so I don’t know if that is you or not.
I hope you are ok and safely back at home by now.
The videos are too big for email, but maybe What’s App will work. Let me know if your phone number is the same on What’s App, cause I don’t want to send them there if that’s not your What’s App number. If it’s not you, I can chop the videos up and send them in chucks via email.
This is a screen shot from one of the videos.
<image2.jpeg>
Hey Jincy,
There is only one thing still bothering me.
This Google account has only one review, which is mostly false and doesn’t sound like you at all.
Can you tell me what really happened, because this description, under your name, didn’t happen. Did someone force this review on you, you gave Loy access to your phone, or he took access when you were unconscious?
Was your account cracked by Loy and he posted this?
My Google Maps review, which does not include your name, does not show on Google Maps, but this review under your name, shows up.
What is your story?
-Erik
On Aug 14, 2023, at 10:11 PM, Jincy Jose <818jincyjose@gmail.com> wrote:
Jincy,
If it’s you, then can you at least delete the part of the review that says:
“They saved me from a guy who was drunk and trying to misbehave with me. They took immediate action and asked him to leave the property because
everyone in the hostel dint feel safe around him.”
This is entirely false. The staff saved you from nothing, and actually put you in a dangerous scenario, because Loy was drinking and driving with you.
No immediate action was taken to ask me to leave the property. It was only after Loy’s ego was severely damaged, that I was asked to leave, which was hours later, long after he brought you back unconscious.
Most everyone did feel safe around me, and I met several friends at that hostel, including you.
I too, want to put this experience behind me, but it’s wrong to publicly, falsely praise people and falsely condemn others, even if they are unnamed.
Unlike you, I have not been able to put the experience out of my mind.
Please just delete that section, or the whole review, and/or make it accurate.
If Loy has threatened you directly or indirectly, then I understand why you don’t want to change it or delete it. If that’s the case, then don’t change it, and I’m so sorry that I was mostly ignorant of what was happening, and that I couldn’t do more for you.
Whatever you decide to do, thanks for getting back to me.
I have no ill will for you about this experience, and I do want to respect you wishes.
If you don’t email me me back or contact me again; then I won’t contact you again.
Thanks,
-Erik
On Sep 2, 2023, at 11:19 AM, Jincy Jose <818jincyjose@gmail.com> wrote:
Nothing inappropriate happened from me, at anytime I was at this hostel. Jincy and I only talked in common areas of the hostel, and we were always with others, with cameras around, or both. Never were we alone or out of sight of another person.
All evidence from all sides proves this unequivocally.
There are at least 3 solo girls that came specifically for the reputation Loy has; Alisha, Shyamal, and Jincy. You can read this in their gushing reviews and their absurd demonization of me, and more importantly, the timing or their reviews. There was one other Indian staff woman that wasn’t there during this, and she was absent until I left. She was not part of this, but I could tell she had reservations about her job. There were only 4 Indian girls that I saw while I was there, so any other reviews about me are fake from the business. Alisha has yet to post, and I wonder why, because she was the most loyal to Loy during the incident between he and Jincy. Maybe Alisha will wait until her one month “volunteer” stint is over. If you refer to previous reviews at other hostels Loy has worked at, you will find more solo girls’ with gushing reviews of him. He has quite the reputation from solo girl travelers, especially the ones he spends time alone with, which is nearly all of them.
With more research, I’m relieved to find out that whatever Loy did to these girls, in some cases, may have been consensual; certainly with Alisha and Shyamal, it was.
Because Jincy was flirting with me, I did send a text to Loy asking “What can I do to have s$& with this girl, without offending her or anyone else?” I had no intention of having sex with Jincy, but when flirting is happening from both sides, you never know where things will go, and most importantly, I didn’t want to break any taboos in Goa or offend anyone, and I requested some advice. That was a big mistake. The rest of the texts from Loy were offensive and strange.
Unfortunately, Loy used this first text from me to him, to implement his plan to take Jincy off the property and do whatever he wanted with her, which he did. Then he brought he her back fully limp and unconscious, carried in by a stronger staff member. Remember, Loy is the bartender and served her two beers, only.
In no other hostel, have I seen this sort of situation or have seen such a threat to a girl and myself.
I called the police, that night, once I could see the setup that Loy had planned for me as the fall guy for anything else he had planned, using my text as some sort of pretext. The police assured me that Jincy was not dead.
I decided to record video of Jincy in the common area, because it was obvious that Loy was attempting to set me up for his suspicious activity, taking her away from the hostel for about an hour. If you are a manager who is concerned about someone, you keep them in the common area, on CCTV camera, and watch them with your other two staff members, not drive them into the night, alone, on your scooter, after you’ve been drinking.
If something happened to Jincy while I was sleeping or while I was absent from the hostel, it’s 3 staff members against my word, and one guest who is Indian, and unconscious.
There is victim shaming in India, like crazy, so when Loy was alone with her, if he did more bad stuff, other than claiming she was drunk, and then drunk driving her away from the cameras at the hostel, it’s easy for the three Indian staff to threaten her and force her to say anything, and throw a foreigner under the bus. I don’t blame Jincy for lying at this point, in her google review, but she should not have gone with Loy alone that night, and that responsibility is on her. Had she stayed on camera and in the hostel, she and everyone would have had a safer, and better night.
Loy is an ok host as long as you are with lots of other people, and I and others will attest to this. He showed me a cool place that many guests went to in a group, but don’t go anywhere alone with him, especially if you are Indian, unless you know the risks that you are getting yourself into and/or that that is what you are looking for.
Also, make sure you have other customers around, and never find yourself alone with only staff.
Shyamal Ganvir was with Loy in a consensual manner as all staff and most guests were aware of. She never expressed any complaints towards me, until I published a review for this hostel. She or the hostel warned me of nothing, and no immediate action was taken for anything in regards to me, while Shyamal was staying at the hostel. Shyamal left the hostel several days before the incident that occurred with Jincy and Loy.
I actually see the issue now.
You had set this girl up for at least a day. Get her to trust you, then get her drunk or drug her. I had no idea, man.
Then, as your plan was working out, I came in and she was more interested in me. So I cockblocked you. Now I understand why you wigged out and were so upset.
I had no idea. Had you been as honest with me as I was with you, then there never would have been an issue. It was a mistake for me to think that you were a trustworthy person.
I’m sad that the business decided to attack my one star review. I’m sad that you have a false, fake review under your name.
Unfortunately, because of this review, which you said you cannot delete, and the response from the business, I have a moral obligation to make sure this story is told.
This story will be told, because of the response from Loy and the people that employ him.
It’s an honest review, and the business response isn’t honest or accurate,.
I want you to delete the fake review that was posted, from the girl, “Jincy Jose.”
I know what happened, and it’s wrong. It’s wrong in America and it’s wrong in India.
The girl doesn’t want any part of this, but the story is real, and the details aren’t that public, yet.
She didn’t and doesn’t deserve this. Loy does.
Delete the fake review, or put my name into it, and we’ll go from there.
You’re welcome.
Please substantiate any complaints you have about me, from “British Travelers” or encourage them to publish Google reviews, naming me and their complaints, and I will respond.
Loy took immediate action to destroy a comfortable environment, and video evidence shows that.
Your claim that my text hasn’t been altered is false.
Loy drove away with a girl, alone, at night, and brought her back unconscious.
If you’d like to take this to Goan court, you know my name, my visa and passport info, because that was required for me to stay there.
Otherwise, my review stands, as does your response.