Hey ya! I am back with sharing another experience. The difference is “this time, it’s not my experience. My friend’s friend one”.
This happened in the mid of 2018. My friend was, way back to Chennai (MAA) from Dubai (DXB). In the airport, my friend was alone (reached 4 hours before the depart time), standing in the queue for check-in. A medium aged guy, probably 35-40 at that time, with some kind of sadness in face, tearful eyes, and was in a hurry. He approached my friend and said that his mom was serious, admitted in ICU, need send money urgently. So he was expecting my friend to help.
After considering that guy’s situation and his mom’s health condition, my friend decided to help him. Before helping him, my friend did call me, told all these and asked my suggestion. I was advising to help upto some extent (max 30k INR) and not to go beyond for safety reasons, as already 20k hand cash is in wallet. My friend accepted and dropped my call.
Instead of handing over cash, that guy gave a polythene cover (haven’t seen what is there inside) to my friend and said that there is a chain inside, which will be 5 sovereign. My friend was not accepting initially and replied him that, can carry cash but not other stuffs. That fellow again pleaded and told his mom’s health condition, cried, gave some lame reason (currency conversion - gst etc..). His point is that the chain inside the cover would be enough for paying his mom’s hospital bill. Since my friend was decided to help, ignoring my advice, accepted it. He then took a pic of my friend, sent to someone in Chennai, giving all identification marks, blah blah. He immediately left that place.
The second mistake my friend did was, haven’t taken the contact details of that person, or the person to whom the cover was supposedly to be delivered. ie. Donno from whom the cover was collected, donno to whom the cover has to be delivered.
Once he left, my friend went to rest room (as the complete airport is under cctv surveillance), opened the polythene cover and stunned. There were 3 gold chain (it would be easily 8 sovereign minimum each), 1 ring (2 plus sovereign, a big one), a bracelet (2 sovereign minimum, easily). After seeing these things, my friend heart stopped literally for some time, sweat all over the body, blood pressure shoot up. Then, I received a call. After understanding that these people were using my friend to smuggle, I was supposedly make my friend what was happening (since already bp shoot, can’t shout and point that my friend did mistake there), told to wear 2 chains and 1 bracelet, hide inside jacket. The other things were dropped in luggage bag and dropped in check-in. The travel was terrific for my friend, all the way, the thinking was like the future days will be counted in jail.
I was waiting in the airport to help my friend. Thankfully, the checking was liberal and hurry burry on that day. Somehow escaped from immigration and customs.
A group of 4 people were waiting outside the airport, with my friend’s photo in mobile. My friend was surrounded by this group of people, the moment my friend came out. Another thankful moment, some minister was arriving Chennai and hence tight police security outside airport. Since the ball is in our court, we scolded those 4 people in and out, Throwing the cover on their face and moved away safely.
I am sharing this experience just to say, you can show your kindness to anyone. But requesting not to believing people story and not to judge on seeing their innocent face. Those stories and their appearance were to use us for their need.
Be cautious, be safe! Never trust anyone, especially in travel!!!
This happened in the mid of 2018. My friend was, way back to Chennai (MAA) from Dubai (DXB). In the airport, my friend was alone (reached 4 hours before the depart time), standing in the queue for check-in. A medium aged guy, probably 35-40 at that time, with some kind of sadness in face, tearful eyes, and was in a hurry. He approached my friend and said that his mom was serious, admitted in ICU, need send money urgently. So he was expecting my friend to help.
After considering that guy’s situation and his mom’s health condition, my friend decided to help him. Before helping him, my friend did call me, told all these and asked my suggestion. I was advising to help upto some extent (max 30k INR) and not to go beyond for safety reasons, as already 20k hand cash is in wallet. My friend accepted and dropped my call.
Instead of handing over cash, that guy gave a polythene cover (haven’t seen what is there inside) to my friend and said that there is a chain inside, which will be 5 sovereign. My friend was not accepting initially and replied him that, can carry cash but not other stuffs. That fellow again pleaded and told his mom’s health condition, cried, gave some lame reason (currency conversion - gst etc..). His point is that the chain inside the cover would be enough for paying his mom’s hospital bill. Since my friend was decided to help, ignoring my advice, accepted it. He then took a pic of my friend, sent to someone in Chennai, giving all identification marks, blah blah. He immediately left that place.
The second mistake my friend did was, haven’t taken the contact details of that person, or the person to whom the cover was supposedly to be delivered. ie. Donno from whom the cover was collected, donno to whom the cover has to be delivered.
Once he left, my friend went to rest room (as the complete airport is under cctv surveillance), opened the polythene cover and stunned. There were 3 gold chain (it would be easily 8 sovereign minimum each), 1 ring (2 plus sovereign, a big one), a bracelet (2 sovereign minimum, easily). After seeing these things, my friend heart stopped literally for some time, sweat all over the body, blood pressure shoot up. Then, I received a call. After understanding that these people were using my friend to smuggle, I was supposedly make my friend what was happening (since already bp shoot, can’t shout and point that my friend did mistake there), told to wear 2 chains and 1 bracelet, hide inside jacket. The other things were dropped in luggage bag and dropped in check-in. The travel was terrific for my friend, all the way, the thinking was like the future days will be counted in jail.
I was waiting in the airport to help my friend. Thankfully, the checking was liberal and hurry burry on that day. Somehow escaped from immigration and customs.
A group of 4 people were waiting outside the airport, with my friend’s photo in mobile. My friend was surrounded by this group of people, the moment my friend came out. Another thankful moment, some minister was arriving Chennai and hence tight police security outside airport. Since the ball is in our court, we scolded those 4 people in and out, Throwing the cover on their face and moved away safely.
I am sharing this experience just to say, you can show your kindness to anyone. But requesting not to believing people story and not to judge on seeing their innocent face. Those stories and their appearance were to use us for their need.
Be cautious, be safe! Never trust anyone, especially in travel!!!
i trust everyone without thinking.. like if someone saying this and crying then it must me true..
