Mumbai: The Mumbai Police have reportedly arrested three men for allegedly posing as customs officers and extorting money from passengers by threatening them with fines for carrying prohibited items.
Those arrested have been identified as Andheri (West) resident Mohammad Zohaib Usman Baloch and Malad (West) residents Zaid Nadeem Sheikh and Saliya Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, the Hindustan Times reported. Baloch works as a delivery executive, Sheikh is employed at a call centre and Qureshi runs a tiffin service.
Modus Operandi
The three had allegedly been using fake identity cards of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the Customs department in order to extort money and valuables from passengers arriving in Mumbai on international flights.
The matter came to light when the trio attempted to confront Aman Hasan Mirza, a Mumbra resident who had arrived in Mumbai from Bangkok on Friday. One of the accused men allegedly grabbed Mirza by the collar, took away his passport and phone and demanded to check his baggage for prohibited items.
However, when the accused persons tried to take him to a parking area, a traffic official noticed the confrontation and stopped them, according to the Hindustan Times.
Accused Posed As Enforcement Officials
When questioned, the accused persons allegedly told the police that they targeted international travellers by posing as enforcement officials and threatening them with fines.
“If a passenger was carrying any prohibited items or new electronic items, they would ask the passenger to cough up the amount under the pretext of a fine,” a police official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The authorities are now investigating whether the accused persons similarly duped other passengers, how long they had been extorting money in this manner and whether they had any more accomplices.
