New York

At least five people have been fatally poisoned with narcotics in what investigators say were schemes by criminal crews to incapacitate and rob people at New York City bars and nightclubs. The killings stretch back months and appear to be the work of different crews, operating independently but using similar tactics, reports the Associated Press. Men slip revelers dangerous levels of drugs to knock them out, then take their wallets and phones, sometimes using their digital banking info to drain accounts. In March, Nurbu Sherpa, 29, a chef, was found dead on the sidewalk after leaving a bar where he had celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. In April, Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, died in a taxi after leaving a bar with a group of men. Relatives discovered some of his saving was stolen. In May, John Umberger, 33, a political consultant from Washington D.C., was found dead of a drug overdose in the townhouse where he was staying. Surveillance video showed him leaving a popular club propped up by a group of men. Money was taken from his bank account.