A British female tourist was charged with indecency in Dubai after walking through the world's largest shopping centre in a bikini.
The woman was buying clothes and gifts in the Dubai Mall, fully dressed but in a low-cut top, when she was accosted by an Arab woman and criticised for wearing 'revealing clothing', reports The Daily Mail.
The pair then became embroiled in a heated row in front of hundreds of bemused shoppers.
Incensed by the Arab woman's comments, the British woman told her to 'mind her own business' before stripping out of her clothes and 'taunting' the locals by walking around in only her bikini, it is alleged.
The mall's security team then intervened and called the police, who arrested the British holidaymaker. The woman, whose identity is unknown, was still being questioned by officers in Bur Dubai police station Wednesday night.
A source within Dubai police said: 'The British woman was wearing a very low top and most of her legs were on display. 'The Arabic woman stopped to criticise her and that's when she stripped off. That's when things started to get out of hand.
'We ended up questioning both women after receiving a call from the mall security staff.'
There are numerous signs around the Dubai Mall urging women to 'wear respectful clothing-Similar messages are flashed up on LCD screens in most shopping malls across the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai, which attracts more than one million British tourists a year, tends to operate a more lenient policy than other Arab states.
However, officials in the Gulf state have prosecuted several British tourists for indecent behaviour over the past two years.
Earlier this year estate agent Charlotte Adams, 26, and Ayman Najafi, 24, were jailed for a month by a Dubai court for kissing and fondling each other in a restaurant.
The pair, from North London, always maintained that the embrace was nothing but a 'peck on the cheek'.
They were arrested in November last year at a busy burger restaurant after a 38-year-old local woman claimed she spotted them kissing on the lips and stroking each other's backs.
She said she was offended by their behaviour in Bob's Easy Diner at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.
They were jailed for indecency and were also fined about £180 for being under the influence of alcohol in a public place.
At 12.1million square feet, the Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping centre by area and is home to about 1,200 stores.
Situated next to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, it opened in November 2008 and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week.
