Beware of Greedy Customs Officers
"We were harassed by the officials to pay a bribe of Rs.10,000. After a lot of pleading and negotiaion, their demand came down to Rs.5,000 and 2 Johnie walker whisky bottles. And finally the deal was finalised for Rs.5,000 and a Johnie walker whisky bottle. We had no other go but to pay up and get out of there."
What honey is to bees, expensive goods is to customs officials. The prospect of making an extra buck (Sorry, I meant thousands of extra bucks) makes them pounce on every traveller that makes the grave mistake of bringing goods for his personal use. For, the word personal does not exist in the officer's vocabulary. Exhausted flyers work well in their favour as they lack the energy to reason and fight against the unlawful bribe demands whereas very few unrelenting travellers manage to escape without paying a bribe. While some are lucky or perhaps wise enough to ask for assistance from higher ups, others fall into a trap in which everyone from the ACP/ DCP of customs to a constable are corrupt. The only way one can deal with the corrupt is by being aware of immigration/customs rules. Do take a look at our How to that gives adequate guidance for the same.