There’s nothing quite like the feeling that comes from jet-setting off to places unknown. Allowing yourself to become lost in a land where you don’t speak the language is something everyone should experience.
That being said, you can also never lose sight of the fact that you aren’t in Kansas anymore. It’s a lesson that this woman almost had to learn the hard way after an encounter with an overly chatty flight-mate nearly landed her in jail.
The police eventually caught up with her and dragged the woman back in handcuffs.
When she caught sight of @Unigwechidalu, the elderly woman began calling out “my[sic] daughter!.. how[sic] could you do this to me …[sic]”
It was at that moment that @Unigwechidalu realized the elderly woman was smuggling drugs.
And she was trying to implicate her in the crime!
There are certain risks that every traveler should try and make themselves aware of before they depart.
Most seasoned travelers know to keep an eye out for pickpockets and to never leave a bag unattended.
Most, however, never think twice about the person sitting next to them on the plane.
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Recently, a Twitter user @Unigwechidalu posted a warning that’s worth heeding after a recent trip to Dubai.
She begins the story by explaining how her seatmate, an elderly woman, asked for help with putting her bag into the overhead luggage compartment . Luckily, a taller gentleman interceded and was able to lend a hand.
After the bag was secured, the older woman settled into her seat.
“Immediately she sits down she strikes up a conversation. She was very pleasant and well spoken[sic]. So we chatted all through the flight to Dubai,” @Unigwechidalu said .
Once the pilot announced the plane was descending, things started to go wrong.
All of a sudden the elderly woman began complaining that she was having stomach pains . It got so bad that @Unigwechidalu had to call the flight attendants for help.
When help arrived, the elderly woman began referring to @Unigwechidalu as her daughter.
“My new friend was crying and sweating like crazy. And she refused to let go of my hand… everyone assumed we knew each other,” she recalled .
Obviously, whether you’re on a plane or not, this is a great tactic.
After the plane had landed, the same man who helped the elderly woman with her suitcase removed the bag from the overhead compartment.
@Unigwechidalu continued:
“But as he removed the luggage, he advised me to distance myself from this lady and make it clear to the cabin crew that we were NOT travelling together.”
It wasn’t long until the cabin crew approached @Unigwechidalu and began asking her whether or not she knew the woman sitting next to her.
She ” catergorically ” told the crew that they had just met on the flight.
Things got even stranger as they began to deplane; the elderly woman kept insisting that @Unigwechidalu hold her handbag.
“I was so torn… but the gentleman looked me in the eye and emphatically shook his head,” she explained .
It was at that moment that the gentleman passed @Unigwechidalu a note to let the cabin crew deal with the elderly woman.
When @Unigwechidalu left to go an collect her luggage, the older woman was waiting for a wheelchair.
“As we waited for our luggage to come through, I hear this commotion. My ‘new friend’ was running, trying to escape the cabin crew, having gotten out of the wheelchair!” she exclaimed .
Luckily, the man who’d helped with the bags on the plane came to @Unigwechidal’s rescue.
He explained that all three of them had just met on the plane. The police took @Unigwechidal’s passport and asked the elderly woman to tell them what her “daughter’s” name was.
By a stroke of luck, @Unigwechidal had never revealed that information.
Despite being acquitted of any wrongdoing, @Unigwechidal was still interrogated extensively.
Yes, really.
They searched her bags and even dusted for fingerprints ! So the next time you’re at the airport and see some struggling traveler juggling luggage — stay away. You never know who or what you might encounter.
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