Police nabbed four imposters who pretended to be customs officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport). These imposters, dressed in formal attire, would deceive travelers by posing as customs officers and then rob them in the parking area. They would trap people near the entry gates of the airport. The culprits were identified as Kasimuddin (33), Kamruddin (37), Riaz Ahmad (33), and Rahman Ali (24).
According to the police, the arrests followed a recent incident where a traveler returning from Saudi Arabia was robbed of 1,800 riyals (approximately Rs 40,000) along with some valuable items. Usha Ranganani, DCP of the IGI police station, explained that they received a PCR call on April 4. The complainant informed them that two individuals, posing as customs officials, took away their passport, valuable items, and 1,800 riyals.
Narrating the incident, the complainant said, “As I exited from Terminal 3, two people approached me. They asked to inspect my belongings and led me to the multilevel parking area. They accused me of carrying illegal gold and confiscated my belongings. Then, they took a taxi to Dwarka Metro Station and fled from there.”
One of the arrested culprits, Kasimuddin, confessed to the police that he had spent a considerable amount of time working at airports in Gulf countries. Having gained experience in airport operations, he resorted to robbing people upon returning to India due to financial difficulties.
DCP Usha further stated that after receiving the complaint, they registered a case under the Indian Penal Code. Over a hundred CCTV cameras were scrutinized to trace the taxi’s registration number. With the help of the taxi driver’s information, who was paid online by the imposters, the police successfully tracked down the culprits. Raids were conducted in three other states, leading to the arrest of additional suspects.