Two women are believed to have been spiked by injection at separate venues during nights out in Oban.
The first woman told how she believes she was pricked by a needle on the side of her ribcage.
She has reported the incident to police, who are investigating.
And a second woman has said her niece suffered a similar attack, but this has not been reported to police yet.
The first woman, who is remaining anonymous, has a bruise and a mark at the spot.
Fortunately, she was in the company of three friends who were able to take her home safely.
She felt unwell at the time, but is understood to have made a full recovery.
Police confirmed they are making inquiries.
Warning from victim
The victim wrote an anonymous warning on the town’s Information Oban Facebook page earlier.
She wrote under the description “Group Participant”.
She said: “Sad to be writing one of these posts but unfortunately last night I was spiked and it wasn’t via my drink. Can’t urge people enough to be careful and vigilant while they’re out as this can happen to anyone at any time.
“If you think you’ve been spiked it’s important to inform the venue and get yourself home and safe as quickly as possible and get checked out.
“I’ve attached a photo of what a needle spike mark looks like, this is on my side/rib area. I’m very lucky I was with people who knew how to help me and got me home safely.”
After the initial shock, she found the courage to report the incident to police.
A police spokesman said: “On Thursday March 16, police received a report of an alleged spiking incident in Oban town centre. which is believed to have taken place the previous weekend. Inquiries into the full circumstances are ongoing and there have been no further reports at this time.”
The other victim’s aunt had posted a warning the day prior to the woman who spoke to police.
She wrote: “There is a high chance my niece got spiked the other night. Not in a normal way.
‘Report it to police’
“I’m urging her to get checked out, but also warning others as it’s quite worrying. If anyone had a strange experience out drinking while they know they didn’t drink much I think its best you get checked out and report it to the police.
“Let’s say I hope it’s not what I’ve heard so please report if anything strange has happened to you or if you know someone.”
People expressed alarm and concern in the comments section. She responded: “The rare part about it is we think she may have been injected with something rather than put in her drink.”
The concerned aunt continued: “This wasn’t the drink, we believe she was injected by something.”
In October 2021, 15 cases of alleged spiking by injection were under scrutiny by the authorities in Aberdeen.
Where to get help
Some helpful advice was shared by group member Jane MacLean.
Ms MacLean wrote: “Unfortunately this is not a rare experience for young women to have had in this town or anywhere else.
“Nobody should feel stupid about this happening to them and it’s clearly not something anybody would choose. It’s definitely something that should be reported to police. And support to do this is readily available to help if an assault has taken place as a result of being spiked.
“The Janet Centre in Oban has staff who are trained to provide support and advocacy to anyone who has had such an experience and confidentiality is guaranteed. 01631 567190 or 07733-898232.”
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