This is a true story. He was 18 and he was going home to India for his final school examinations.

The neighbors asked his parents if they would mind very much if one of their relatives could send an LED TV with the boy.

Of course, they would compensate him for the customs duty and also contribute 50 percent of the ticket value one way for the courtesy.

The parents, not being particularly affluent thought there was nothing wrong with the arrangement since their son was carrying very little luggage. So, the TV wag taken along in its original packaging marked ‘fragile’ and the plane, boy and machine landed at Sahar airport in Mumbai.

The young man went up to red channel to declare the item and pay the duty for which  he would obviously be compensated by the man waiting outside to collect the TV.

One Customs officer was a little curious about the weight of the package and chose to have it opened and checked from its original packaging. The guts of the machine had been taken out and replaced with gold bars.

Today, several years later, the boy is still awaiting trial.

His whole life has been ruined and there is little likelihood that he will ever put the shards of that life back together again.

His parents have tried everything including imploring the neighbors to get their son off by stating his ignorance but they won’t do that and have long since moved away without an ounce of guilt. 

The fact is the boy was carrying the machine and the object lesson is clear: don’t ever carry items whose contents you are not aware of or have not checked.

Far too many of us are afraid to put forward our reluctance because it won’t look nice. So, we trust friends and relatives and cheerfully pack their items into our suitcases totally unaware that they could be containing contraband.

What if the little packet you are taking for a friend of a friend is actually a bundle of money or a small square of narcotic substance? You don’t know it, you think no one would do that to you? Listen brother, the safest carrier for contraband is the innocent dupe.

Being unaware of his baggage contents he is neither afraid nor self-conscious and can elude the antenna of the Customs vigilance teams. No nervous giveaways even when the luggage is being searched.

But when it is found, he is the one who gets caught and it doesn’t matter a whistle in the wind who duped him, the odds do not favor his being allowed to go because he was naive.

Me, I am very unreasonable when it comes to playing amateur postman.

I say it out front that I will check the contents to my satisfaction so please do not wrap them in colored paper and all that stuff I do not give a toss whose birthday it is, if I am carrying the present I need to know what the present is.

My wife squirms with embarrassment but it does not matter if someone’s feelings are hurt or they are righteous with indignation, you don’t like my interrogation, tough, tough, tough. Go elsewhere.

One lady wanted to send medicines to her friend in Delhi. I wanted the packet opened.

My wife said, don’t be so embarrassing, what will she think? Don’t care what she thinks don’t care what anyone thinks, don’t care if they think I am paranoid, I am not going to take it unchecked.

For example I have a certain prescription medicine for which I need to pay my doctor AED50 to buy it for AED18 and though I can get in India over the counter I don’t bring one tablet back with me…I leave the unused capsules at home.

Let me tell you something, it is got nothing to do with bad manners, it is pure common sense, no point being regretful later. Then again, that is only a part of the whole scenario. Something about flying makes people careless.

They leave their hand baggage in the care of some total stranger waiting in the lounge.

Kenyoolookuftermybagpliss.

Total stranger, this is, and he can put anything in your handbag and you won’t even know.

You think I am being neurotic now. Well, let me tell you something. Airports are fertile grounds for crooks and worked on by experts in the art of fleecing passengers.

The so-called bona fide passenger who sits next to you may be casing your goods. Even on the aircraft, make sure that your handbag does not have too many zips and pockets. Always check them for ‘un-known’ packets that could have found their way in there inflight.

You don’t believe any of this, do you, where does this guy get off telling us these ridiculous stories.

OK, don’t believe it. If they catch you, we’ll send you flowers.