PATTAYA — An Indian tourist was scammed in Pattaya after being pressured into buying overpriced herbal products. In addition to filing a police report, he wanted to warn other tourists not to fall victim.
Mr. Mayur, a 34-year-old Indian national, filed a complaint at Pattaya City Police Station, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi on November 7. He was convinced he had fallen victim to two Pakistani men who approached him while he was walking along Pattaya Second Road at 11:36 PM on November 6.
The two men noticed birthmarks on both of his hands. They claimed to know a shop selling “miraculous” herbal products that would definitely cure his condition within just two weeks, even saying they would “bet their lives on it.”
The Pakistani men then took him to a nearby herbal shop, where they offered herbal products mixed with honey. They quoted the herb price at 900 baht per gram and honey at 1,000 baht per bottle.
Even though Mr. Mayur told them he had no money, the shop claimed they had already mixed the formula and couldn’t take the products back. The Pakistani sellers pressured him into buying two bottles of the herbal-honey mixture at 10,000 baht each, totaling 20,000 baht.
Later, while eating at a restaurant, some foreigners noticed his herbal shop bag and quickly informed him that he had been scammed, similar to other tourists in Pattaya who fell victim to this scheme run by Pakistani groups in collaboration with Thai shop owners. Once he realized he had been scammed, he promptly went to file the police report.
Initially, Police Lieutenant Akkarapong recorded the incident and coordinated with the investigation team to inspect the shop and gather evidence to proceed with legal action against those involved.
However, in similar cases, many foreign victims have filed complaints and already left the country. While Pattaya Tourist Police and Chonburi Provincial Health officials have conducted several raids and arrests, the illegal herbal product selling operation continues to operate covertly.
In a previous incident on October 26, a Pakistani herbal vendor assaulted another Pakistani man in front of an herbal shop at Night Plaza Market on Pattaya Beach. The attack occurred because the vendor was angry that the tourist refused to buy products. The victim filed a police report, but authorities have not yet arrested the perpetrator. The shop has remained closed since the incident.
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Related articles:
- Pakistani Men Arrested for Forcing Herbal Sales to Indian Tourists in Pattaya
- Illegal and Overpriced Herbal Products Lead to Multiple Shop Arrests in Pattaya
