Fake Custom Officer Dupes Four For ₹12 Lakhs In Vasai; Police On Hunt

Vasai: The Vasai police are hunting for a man, who allegedly posed as a Customs official and duped four persons of Rs12.20 lakh on the pretext of helping them secure jobs in the Customs department. The fraud, whose identity has been withheld, also provided bogus ID cards to the job aspirants in order to gain their trust, said the police.

The con came to light following a complaint by a 33- year-oldVasai resident, who works as a cashier in a private hospital in Mumbai. He said that he had met the accused in 2022 through a common friend. The latter introduced himself as a Customs official and boasted of helping many people getjobs in the Customs, said the complainant.

The impostor sought Rs3.05 lakh for getting recruitment in the department, he added. The amount was paid in cash to the accused in Nalasopara and a few months later, the fraud handed over a bogus Customs ID card, said the complainant. Using the same trick, he allegedly trapped other persons known to the cashier and collectively took Rs 12.20 lakh.

When they confronted the accused about their date of joining, he started giving evasive replies and later stopped taking their calls. The fake Customs official has been booked for cheating and forgery.