Mumbai: Aman Hasan Mirza, 24, had barely made his way out of the Mumbai airport after arriving from Bangkok in the early hours of Friday when two men and a woman allegedly confronted him near the parking area, claiming to be Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs officers.
One of the men grabbed him by the collar, took away his passport, boarding pass and mobile phone, and asked to check his luggage for prohibited items. Fortunately for Mirza, when the trio tried to lead him further into the parking area, a traffic police officer noticed the confrontation and intervened. All four—Mirza and the trio who confronted him—were taken to the Sahar Police Station for questioning. Eventually, the police discovered that the trio were using fake DRI and Customs identity cards to intimidate and extort money and valuables from passengers arriving on international flights. The police also claimed they recovered a fake DRI and Customs identity card bearing one of the accused’s photograph but carrying the name Digvijay Patil.
The three accused, who were arrested, were identified as Mohammad Zohaib Usman Baloch, 30, a delivery executive from Andheri (West); Zaid Nadeem Shaikh, 23, a call centre employee from Malad (West); and Saliya Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, 42, who runs a tiffin service and lives in Malad (West). Mirza, a resident of Mumbra, landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at around 1.30am on Friday, according to the police. After exiting the arrival terminal, he was walking towards parking level P6 when the trio confronted him at around 3 am.
During questioning, the accused allegedly told the police that they targeted international passengers by posing as enforcement officials and threatening them with penalties for carrying prohibited items or newly purchased electronic goods. “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,” said a police officer.
