Mumbai: Mumbai Customs officials have arrested a 27-year-old fishing trawler owner for allegedly smuggling over 53,000 litres of high-speed diesel (HSD) worth nearly Rs40 lakh from foreign vessels.
Details of seizure
The accused, identified as Alibaug resident SH Koli, was intercepted on January 13 after officers stopped a fishing trawler around 35 to 40 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast. A search of the vessel led to the recovery of 53,629 litres of diesel concealed onboard, valued at approximately Rs39.90 lakh.
During the investigation, crew members stated that they were operating under Koli’s instructions. Summoned for questioning on January 21 and 22, Koli admitted to purchasing diesel from foreign vessels originating from China, Vietnam and Dubai at Rs35 per litre and selling it to local fishing boats at Rs65 per litre.
Legal implications
A Customs official said Koli also confessed to smuggling diesel on multiple occasions, including twice in January 2026, involving goods worth Rs18.75 lakh. The total value of seized diesel and earlier smuggled consignments stands at Rs58.65 lakh.
Import of HSD is prohibited under the Foreign Trade Policy and Customs law without special permission. Officials suspect a larger smuggling network supplying fuel to local boats and said investigations into financial trails and links with foreign vessels are ongoing.
Alert over fake challans, job scams, WhatsApp ‘ghost pairing’ frauds
Mumbai: Maharashtra Cyber police have issued advisories alerting citizens to a rise in online frauds, including fake RTO e-challan APK scams, bogus job offers and a new WhatsApp hacking method known as “ghost pairing.”
In the fake e-challan scam, victims receive messages containing APK files, links or PDFs posing as traffic fine notices. Once clicked, the malicious file allows fraudsters access to SMS and OTPs, enabling unauthorized bank, UPI and wallet transactions. The malware can also misuse WhatsApp to forward scam messages to contacts. Citizens have been advised to avoid unknown links and download official apps only from government platforms.
Job offer scams
On fake job offers, cyber police said scammers target job seekers and students on social media using bogus company names and promises of quick hiring and high income. Victims are often asked to pay small fees during the recruitment process, after which the fraudsters disappear. Apart from financial loss, personal and banking information is also stolen for further misuse.
The advisory noted that fraudsters frequently pose as HR professionals from reputed firms, keep communication informal and avoid verifiable office channels. Authorities stressed that legitimate employers never charge money for recruitment or onboarding.
The cyber police also warned about the “ghost pairing” scam, in which attackers take control of WhatsApp accounts without OTPs by tricking users into approving device pairing through fake login links. Once paired, scammers gain live access to the victim’s account and send fraudulent messages to contacts.
Citizens have been urged to regularly check WhatsApp’s “Linked Devices” section and avoid clicking urgent or unknown links.
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