How I lost AED 200 following a fake note landing in my purse

By K.R. Nayar

Yesterday started like any other pleasant day for me. I woke up early, did some exercise at the gym, and even went for a swim before setting off for my assignment. As usual, I checked the petrol gauge on the dashboard and realised I was running out of petrol. Oblivious to what awaited me, I decided to stop at a close-by gas station, unaware that I would experience something that I had never encountered before in my entire life.

At the gas station, I turned off the engine and requested the attendant a full tank. Upon completion, he informed me that it would cost me AED 160. I gave him a AED 200 note the closest denomination to the required amount. Little did I know that this ordinary act would unleash a series of unfortunate events.

The attendant, upon receiving the note, informed me that he needed to examine it and promptly walked over to his manager. Within minutes, the manager returned with my AED 200 note and informed me of the devastating news that it was a fake note!. They said they would confiscate it and inform the police, leaving me completely stunned. 

Clueless to what lay ahead for me, I paid the AED 160 for the petrol and followed the attendant's instruction to park my car behind the petrol pump and wait for the police to arrive. It was noon by then and the heat was unbearable outside. So, I decided to wait inside the nearby supermarket. Wanting to kill time and suppress my agony while waiting for the police, I asked the attendant how he had detected that the note was a counterfeit. To my surprise, he claimed that one could identify it by touch alone. Yet, to my eyes, it appeared no different from any other AED 200 note. It is understood that a fake note can be identified by examining closely the colours used in authentic note.

Image credit source: Dubai Police 

When the police arrived, the first question he asked the manager was who had given them the counterfeit note. The manager promptly pointed at me. It was a humiliating experience as the police's arrival caught the attention of everyone in the store. They took a photo of the fake note, as well as my Emirates ID and the manager's Emirates ID. The police then questioned me about how I had acquired the note. Since I wasn't very sure of how long it was in my purse or where I had received it, I told him that I must have got it as change when I exchanged a AED 500 note at a grocery store, supermarket, or restaurant.

Then I was asked to get into the police jeep and taken to the police station. The police officer who had taken my details was polite, and he even opened the door for me to enter. However, I had never wanted to find myself inside a police jeep. Once inside the police station compound, the officer went inside while the police jeep driver and I waited in the parking area. After about 10 minutes, the driver returned my Emirates ID and informed me that I could go.

I took a taxi back to the petrol pump. As I restarted my car and continued my journey, I was still dazed and in a state of shock! I had lost AED 200 plus the taxi fare just for nothing. I wondered why I had to go through this nightmarish experience. However, one thing remains certain in my mind: whoever spoiled my day and committed this horrible act will never find true peace.

Anyone who steals people's hard-earned money through fraudulent means, such as printing counterfeit notes, are destined to suffer. While this may not happen immediately, but surely in the long run. Though the person responsible may have experienced a sadistic thrill when he passed that AED 200 note, I hope such criminals, once caught, are given the harshest of punishments and not let go with an ordinary jail sentence.