Man woke up after long bus-ride"2500$"Gone[Gas?]Thailand

[Mangosteen1]

A guy I met told me that he had been in a long bus trip in Thailand 2013. Strangely he had felt asleep and when he woke up feeling exhausted and didn't remember he even felt sleepy. All his money was gone 2500USD(it was just gone)He was traveling alone.

He had thought about how he could have lost it many times. putting all he could remember into paper. he said it must have been some kind of gas that made him fall asleep. Do they have that kind of gas?

(I didn't believe or disbelieve him when he told me what happened, me being from Europe I had heard of that kind of gas, but also that its most likely used by criminals who have specialized in using it, and expensive to get, was my view) However speaking more to the guy: asking him if he drank anything?or received any water, he said no and that he always had his money in a pocket on the inside of his pants with a zipper, he also added that he wasn't that person who normally lost or dropped anything. I asked him if he was drunk?he said no. speaking more to him I realized he was more of an explorer then a drunken bar-tourist. he seemed very cleaver and worked as an IT-expert.

Now I see that more people have similar stories from those bus trips. can it be true?

[Mangosteen1]

Ive been checking the web for more cases. it seems it comes with those free waters. so its not a gas?so if you bring your own water and don't accept drinks from anybody before and during the bus ride you should be alright right?What can we do for preventing this. other tourists lost 800USD and 2000USD "many cases on the web"

[ukrules]

It sounds like someone probably gave him a dose of barbiturate at some point on this trip.

His memory could be impaired to the point of blackout so he might not even remember drinking / eating whatever contained it even though he would have been fully conscious at the time.

[Swiss1960]

Those gas stories are myths... just imagine using gas in a bus, how could it probably affect only one person? Many such stories have been around in Europe on trains in Italy and Austria, but none has any proof. More likely is either barbiturates in drinks or really deep sleep and / or a really professional pickpocketer.

[JoeThePoster]

The monotonous slow driving is enough to put anyone to sleep on those buses.

[soi41]

If your fellow traveller loks like this, time to get suspecious!

Another urban myth!! Why would an "explorer" aka an experienced traveller, travel with 2500$ in cash in any country??

[Nautilus05]

If this is even true, I have a hard time feeling sorry for people like this. The minimum wage here is about $300/month. Who packs 8 months of wage around with them while visiting a foreign country?

[Spoonman]

If this is even true, I have a hard time feeling sorry for people like this. The minimum wage here is about $300/month. Who packs 8 months of wage around with them while visiting a foreign country?

Actually minimum wage is closer to $250.00 per month but yes someone carry almost a years salary would be very tempting for some.............. how would they have known he had this money on him to start with ?

[Nautilus05]

how would they have known he had this money on him to start with ?

Maybe he accidentally flashed it while buying his bus ticket. Or maybe he was packing it around in baht, so about 75,000 baht... that would make a pretty noticeable bulge I would think.

[Spoonman]

how would they have known he had this money on him to start with ?

Maybe he accidentally flashed it while buying his bus ticket. Or maybe he was packing it around in baht, so about 75,000 baht... that would make a pretty noticeable bulge I would think.

Money was in greenbacks so bulge would have been very small.

[impulse]

Or maybe they rifled through his pockets after he passed out and just lucked into it.

It's also been widely reported (not specific to Thailand) that some buses will have people camped out in the luggage compartment to rifle through all the bags while the folks "upstairs" are oblivious.

Another commonly reported trick in China is to stop the bus, let everyone off to pee and buy some water, then drive off after about half the people get on the bus (the savvy half), leaving the rest behind. When they do catch up with the bus, their goods have been stolen.

Lots of ways to separate a traveler, especially a tourist, from their belongings, very few unique to Thailand. Sounds like he did the wise thing keeping the money on his person, but got caught on a flyer by a mickey.

Watch the documentary "Terror in Moscow" to see what they can do with gas. Great idea, poorly followed through.

And to nautilus05, I find it hard to understand people that travel in a foreign country without enough cash on them to get to the nearest airport and buy an outbound ticket in case things go wrong. Credit card is fine under normal circumstances, but hard cash in the form of USD, Pounds or Euro is king when the poop hits the turbine blades.

Edited October 12, 2013 by impulse

[KhunBENQ]

No need to mistrust the free water supply from the bus company. Too much paranoia makes you sick too.

Decline any offers for a free drink from fellow travellers: yes! (with a smile of course)

Being poisened with "Vitamin K" or the like sounds somewhat likely.

It happens so often in the tourist spots, why not in a bus.

Sometimes people can not even remember what happened before falling inconscious.

I myself was a victim, but not in Thailand.

[CharlieH]

"he seemed very cleaver and worked as an IT-expert."

Not that clever, stupid enough to carry large amounts of cash whilst travelling ? People never learn, same mistakes repeated over and over again, never gonna happen to them, until it actually does!

Doubt the "gas" story, although there have been reports in the press in the past of tourists having there belongings taken whilst asleep on long bus journeys, but not with reputable national carrier I hasten to add, always "tour operators".

[cornishcarlos]

The monotonous slow driving is enough to put anyone to sleep on those buses.

You must have been on a bus with a puncture. Sebastian Vettel is always driving any I go on

[somchaismith]

A case of 'the ol' dutch oven trick'.

[thaibeachlovers]

It sounds like someone probably gave him a dose of barbiturate at some point on this trip.

His memory could be impaired to the point of blackout so he might not even remember drinking / eating whatever contained it even though he would have been fully conscious at the time.

Which goes to show that it is a mistake to actually show that one is carrying a money belt unless wanting such to happen. Unless everyone on the bus was robbed, the robber must have known beforehand about that one person.

[zoza]

my only experience of a bus and a thief was on the Thai/ lao border a few years back, I was on

the bus that crosses the friendship bridge heading into Thailand when I spotted movement that

got my attention, it was an Asian couple sitting at the back of the bus the woman held a coat

on her arm while her partner was sliding underneath the seats trying to hook up bags and a

camera case with his foot. the couple who were being robbed looked like tourists and were

totally oblivious of what was going on, I was unsure what was my best option was as I didn't

want a song and dance especially on the border. so I stood up and stared at the woman with

the coat, then motioned towards her partner, she let her fella know and he got up off the floor

it got a bit strange then as I turned my attention to the two tourists ,staring at their stuff on the floor

and nodding and such but although the looks they gave me were not very friendly it had the

desired affect as they grabbed their stuff and held it close.

it took all day to explain to my missus that I had not lost the plot, and was actually trying

to help someone.

[TheSpade]

The gassing on bus things is a myth check the website Snopes the myth been around for years. Apparently it would be near difficult to pull off without risking killing someone and how would the drivers and other bus staff avoid the gas? Plus some people don't get affected by certain gases so would still be awake.

Not practical at all.

The guy probably simply fell asleep.

A while back there was someone on another forum claiming they were gassed or spiked and robbed too then it came to light they'd actually taking a sleeping pill they'd bought from a dodgy Thai pharmacy. Who knows what was in it but it would have knocked them out and then someone took the opportunity to strike.

[RachaRob]

Must be a lot of poor travellers on this site if they think $2500 is a lot of money to have for a month of travelling.

[IMA_FARANG]

Possibly.

But it won't happen to me .... simply that I won't be likely to be traveling around Thailand or anywhere for that matter with $2500 in my pocket.

No matter how "secure" I think it is.

I just don't have $2500 to carry around in the first place.

[jaffacakes1]

$2.5k in loose change and travelling by bus?

Something smells like a travel insurance claim...

[IMA_FARANG]

Must be a lot of poor travellers on this site if they think $2500 is a lot of money to have for a month of travelling.

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Regarding previous post:

I did not say I couldn't come up with $2500 if I needed to, I said I wouldn't be carrying that much money around in cash.

That's why they make ATM and/or debit cards.

I might have 2500 Baht in my wallet on a good day, but never $2500.

Certainly not while riding a bus in Thailand.

[alfalfa19]

barbiturates have a hideous taste. if they were dissolved in a drink, it would be impossible to ignore. one does not taste it when they swallow a capsule, but if it melts in your mouth, you will remember it always. if the guy was drugged, it's more likely to be a powerful benzodiazepam, like rohypnol, or perhaps fentanol, or tramadol.

[flyingdoc]

Try wearing trousers with zips sewn into your pockets!

It works a treat in most cases!.

[mancub]

Often people are "marked " at cash machines or exchange booths and then followed . Those making the higher transactions obviously being of more interest. Not saying that it's a particularly common practice ,but there do seem to be many reports of those being robbed /mugged etc having large amounts of cash stolen -from their person. Could be co-incidence or maybe more folk than I'd imagine carry large sums of cash on them.

[quiuvo]

If your fellow traveller loks like this, time to get suspecious!biochem-war12.jpg

I would carry $2,000 dollars sometimes when visiting here. I guess I was lucky.

Another urban myth!! Why would an "explorer" aka an experienced traveller, travel with 2500$ in cash in any country??

[Spoonman]

Try wearing trousers with zips sewn into your pockets!

It works a treat in most cases!.

Did not work for the op's friend..money was in an inside pocket that was zipped.

[schondie]

Happened to me on one of the Chiang Mai to Bangkok buses, I lost 4000 baht, the bus boy sat next to me as it was the only empty seat and after I fell asleep he opened up my bumbag that was under my shirt and lifted the cash.

I reported it to the police and eventually they brought him in but he denied it. After lots of arguing the owner of the bus, a greasy old Chinese guy (him calling me a lying foreigner that spent it on drugs etc) threw 4000 baht in old 20 baht notes on the table and stormed out.

After sixteen hours and less 1000 baht comission to the 'helpful" policeman I was on my way. I'd heard of the thefts from the overnight CM - BKK buses and thought I had been careful enough. I wasn't.

[TheSpade]

Happened to me on one of the Chiang Mai to Bangkok buses, I lost 4000 baht, the bus boy sat next to me as it was the only empty seat and after I fell asleep he opened up my bumbag that was under my shirt and lifted the cash.

You must be a heavy sleeper if someone can take money off your person without you knowing about it.

[kikoman]

Traveling in any country with $2,500. cash in your pocket is very foolish, when I came here I had large amount of money in travelers checks you could only cash them at a bank in Thailand, which was a hassle but my money was safe, it needed to match the signature on the check, it was guaranteed if someone accepted it with a signature that did not match your signature on the check.

never a good idea to carry a large amount of cash on you in any country.

Cheers: .