A HOLIDAYMAKER told how he was booted out of Thailand “like a criminal” after cops claimed he was travelling on a stolen passport.
William Barr, 30, was stunned when border officials at Phuket Airport refused to let him through security and threw him in a grimy holding room for ten hours.
The underground cable jointer told of his nightmare ordeal after he was ordered out of the country and flown back to Scotland under tight security.
He was later told by UK officials his paperwork had mysteriously been reported missing on October 1, as Scots cops confirmed they are probing the mystery.
William, of Inverkeithing, Fife, said: “I handed over my passport and I was stunned when the Thai cop told me it was showing up as stolen.
“The next thing all hell broke loose and I was in a cell for ten hours with no idea what was happening to me.
“It was wild. They treated me like a criminal and I was terrified I wouldn’t get home.
“I was supposed to be away for a fortnight but three days later I’m back in the house with no passport and my head spinning.”
William set off with a pal from Edinburgh Airport on Saturday morning with Qatar Airways.
They stopped in Doha for three and a half hours before boarding a flight to the sunshine city of Phuket, where William had enjoyed a dream trip last year.
But the £1,600 he forked out on the jaunt went up in smoke when a passport check triggered red flags on the Thai security systems.
He said: “It was pretty scary being locked in that room for so long and at one point they took my luggage away for three hours.
“I was terrified they would plant something in my bag because I had no idea what they were doing with it.
“I even had to pay them 3,000 Thai Baht – which is about £70 – before they booked me on a flight to Doha.
“I was walked through the airport with two guys in suits and everyone was looking at me like I was a common criminal.
“I had to get on the plane before everyone else and I was the last to leave.
“I never saw my passport again until I landed back at Edinburgh Airport on Monday where it was confiscated for good.
“Now I need to apply for a new one but I’ve still no idea who reported my passport missing or why.”
UK Border Force gave William a receipt stating his travel documents had been “impounded” at Edinburgh Airport.
William then reported his ordeal to Police Scotland who have launched a probe.
A force spokesperson said: “Around 10.15am on Monday, police received a report of a cancellation of a passport by an unknown person. Enquiries are ongoing.”