Mum issues warning after terrifying 'devil's breath' ordeal on train
A British woman has taken to social media to issue a warning to others after being subjected to a terrifying ordeal involving the increasingly common narcotic known as Devil's Breath (known scientifically as scopolamine). Dubbed the 'world's scariest drug ', the powdery substance can leave victims temporarily incapacitated and at risk of sexual assault and theft.
Aysin Cilek used TikTok to "spread awareness" of the crime after the "scariest thing" happened to her during a train journey on Thursday (July 24). She told her fellow mums in particular to be "extremely careful" when travelling alone. "I got on the train and everything was fine, but then a dodgy-looking guy got on, but I thought nothing of it," she began in a video.
By the time the train had reached its second stop, Aysin recalled the man approached her to say, 'Hi'. She continued: "I'm a lovely person so I said, 'Hi' too, and then he passed me what looked like stamp, but it's clearly not a stamp - it looked more like an acid tablet."
Aysin admitted she didn't clock what was happening initially, and took the item from the man believing he was trying to sell her something.
However, Aysin said the man then asked her to put the 'stamp' on his letter. "I said of course I can," she added. "But then I asked him how and if there is a sticker.
Aysin said she was then told she had to lick it - just as you would an ordinary stamp - which sparked her concerns. "Bearing in mind he'd had his fingers all over it, I said, 'No' and he told me I didn't have to," she explained, telling her followers that she had noticed that the man's apparent 'letter' was simply a mere piece of paper.
"If you have heard of Devil's Breath, this guy was definitely trying to drug me," Aysin stated as she became visibly emotional. "It was just me and [child's name] - I could have been drugged and [child's name] could have been gone."
She added: "This is serious guys. You need to be so careful when you are out and about because I would have never imagined something like that would happen to me."
Aysin closed by revealing that before the man got off the train he looked into her child's pram and said, 'Dont' wake the baby' as if he was casting a "spell". She confessed: "She was wide awake - I have never been so scared in my life. So please be careful - I will not be getting public transport ever again on my own."
Writing in response, the British Transport Police penned: "We're really sorry this incident happened to you." The organisation also urged Aysin to contact them.
Another TikTok user wrote: "It's actual name is scopolamine and you need to watch the vice documentary about it, it scared the life out of me what it can do to someone."
A second shared: "Scary, and worse still, if it was a grandparent they might not have thought twice as we are old school and stamps always used to be licked."
Whilst a third person said: "This is so scary and thank you for spreading awareness. I've seen a few videos going around about this and unfortunately it's not just men doing this but women too."
Advice from UK Addiction Treatment Centres reads: "Given its reputation, it is paramount to recognise the signs of Scopolamine intoxication in yourself and others, particularly if you are travelling somewhere where the drug is found. Symptoms may include dry mouth, difficulty speaking, lethargy, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat and disorientation."
It adds: "While Scopolamine doesn't necessarily enable the perpetrator to control the victim's mind like a puppet master, the induced state of confusion and compliance can make the victim more susceptible to suggestion. This vulnerability, coupled with memory loss, creates a cocktail of conditions ripe for exploitation, date rape and violence."
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