Buying duty-free items at airport, be cautious!

I recevied an email from my cousin with this subject line. And so I opened it and saddened by the fact that this is happening around us (not unless it’s only a story). Read the mail for your cautions.

Be cautious..
>
> All those who travel and shop abroad, be warned about an insidious
> practice that is currently taking place in duty-free shops.
>
> An Indian was detained in Bangkok for stealing a box of cigarettes in
> a duty-free shop in Bangkok International Airport . He had paid for
> chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put a packet of
> cigarettes extra into his bag and he thought it was a free pack. He
> was arrested for shop-lifting and the Thai Police extortion price was
> 30,000 Baht for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid 500
> Baht for an air-conditioned cell, 200-300 baht for each visitor, and
> 11,000 baht for his final release. The Police shared the money in
> front of his eyes. On top of that, he was charged in court and fined
> 2,000 baht by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his
> plane. His passport was stamped “Thief”. While there, his relatives
> requested help from the Indian Embassy and was told that they are
> helpless, many Asians are victimised similarly daily and letters and
> phone-calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. He shared a cell
> with a
> Singaporean the first night who paid 60,000 baht for his release. The
> second night was a Malaysian national who paid 70,000 baht.
>
> Mind you, this was not in a shanty shop in downtown Bangkok but in a
> duty free shop at the Bangkok Int’l Airport . BE WARNED. The above
> 100% correct information because Mr.Rajan Khera’s customer from India
> faced exactly the same scenario mentioned above when he was in
> transit at Bangkok Int’l Airport coming to Taipei .
>
> Someone who went through the same ordeal i! n Dubai .. He bought stuff
> at the Duty Free upon entering. The girl at Duty Free put a bottle of
> cologne in his shopping bag (he did not even see it happen). He was
> arrested for stealing ( this is before he even picked up his luggage
> ). He sat at the airport jail (where he was harassed for the whole
> day. (NO FOOD, NO WATER) for one day and only after he paid a fine
> (bribe of US 500..). That is all the cash he had in his pocket at the
> time. They let him go. These are scams that are happening all over
> the place. Please BE CAREFUL! All of this is pre-planned and the
> people who work at the airport know who to target.
>
> Unbelievable, but apply caution.
>
> Please check your shopping bag at the cashier’s area.

I hope this will be the end of it, as more people are aware, the more these kind of people perform the act no more.