Delhi Police arrest four fraudsters impersonating Customs Officers at airport

New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): The Delhi Police have arrested four fraudsters who cheated passengers by impersonating as Customs officers, police said.

Delhi Police arrested 30-year-old Riyaz Ahmed, 37-year-old Kamruddin, 33-year-old Kasmuddin and 34-year-old Rehman on April 3.

According to DCP Airport Usha Rangnani, on 3 April a PCR Call was received at police station IGI Airport where the caller stated that the luggage, passport and 1800 Riyal were taken fraudulently by some unidentified persons on the pretext of checking the luggage and then those persons went away taking their belongings.

The victim, Riyasat Ali, a resident Udham Singh Nagar, stated that when he arrived from Saudi Arabia on 3 April and came out of ‘Arrivals’, T-3, IGI Airport, one unidentified person called out his name, who introduced himself to be from Customs Department and asked him to show his luggage.

Thereafter, that person took him to Multi Level Car Parking and asked him to show his luggage alleging therein that there was illegal gold in his luggage. He further stated that the accused was accompanied by one more person, who also introduced himself from the Customs Department.

He further alleged that the accused booked a taxi from IGI Airport to Sec-21, Dwarka Metro Station and thereupon took his Passport, Cash 1800 Riyal and two mobile phones on the pretext of checking and left him there and ran away.

During course of investigation, all CCTV cameras of the Airport i.e. Arrivals, T-3, Multi-level Car parking and the route taken by the complainant and accused persons, were minutely analyzed. After analyzing more than 100 CCTV cameras, the registration number of the taxi/cab which was booked by the accused persons, was traced.

Thereafter, ownership of the cab was found and the driver namely Naresh Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Mahipalpur, was traced and examined. During examination, he also corroborated the version of complainant.

The driver further revealed that the accused persons had made the payment of the taxi through UPI gateway. The mobile number through which UPI transaction was carried out was traced and the same was found registered in the name of Riyaz Ahmad, a resident Delhi’s Kalkaji. When the suspected mobile number was called, it was found switched off.

Thereafter, Riyaz Ahmad was arrested from one of his hideouts in Jaitpur. On sustained interrogation, he confessed his crime and disclosed that he runs a barber shop at Jaitpur. He along with his associates Rehman Ali, Kasmuddin and Kamruddin had committed the crime. Accused Riyaz Ahmad further disclosed that Kasmuddin is master mind of the whole plan and Rehman Ali was working at his barber shop for last 3 months. Rehman Ali and Kasmuddin are childhood friends.

On the instance of accused Riyaz Ahmad, co-accused namely Rehman Ali alias Monu was also arrested in the case. He also disclosed that Kasmuddin is the master mind of the plan and on his directions, they had made the plan to cheat the gullible passengers at Delhi’s IGI airport.

Upon further investigation, Kamruddin, a resident of Panipat, was apprehended in Afjalgarh, Distt. Bijnor UP, while celebrating Eid at a friend’s house. He was detained based on technical surveillance and confessed to his involvement in the case. A mobile phone belonging to the victim was found in his possession. Kamruddin admitted to being acquainted with Kasmuddin in the UAE, where they became friends. He also confessed that the plan was devised by Kasmuddin and carried out by the group.

Furthermore, at the instance of accused Kamruddin, master mind accused Kasmuddin, a resident of Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand was arrested from his home and at his instance original Passport of victim and the other mobile phone were recovered.

He was interrogated and arrested in the case. On interrogation, he disclosed that he works as an electrician and further disclosed that he was visiting UAE for last 10 years on work Visa. During his journeys, he noticed the working of custom officers at Airport who used to check the luggage of the passengers. He was not earning good enough for his livelihood, so in order to earn quick money, he made a plan to dupe gullible passengers at IGI Airport on the pretext of luggage checking by impersonating themselves as Custom officers and he along with his friends made a plan and they cheated the passengers at IGI Airport.

Investigation of the case is in progress to trace possible involvement of the accused persons in other similar cases.