Fake customs official strikes again, another teen duped

In the second such incident in the past 10 days, another teenager has approached the Mumbai airport customs department over being duped by a man posing as a customs official.

The complainant said he had received a call from the fake customs official, who was offering to sell him a second-hand iPhone at a cheaper price.

The complainant deposited Rs 25,000 in the caller’s account, but after that the caller disconnected all contact with him.

Earlier, on September 20, an engineering student from Hyderabad said he was cheated of Rs 18,000 by the same man, Takshish Singh Kolal, who claimed to be a customs official posted at the Mumbai airport.

In that case too, the accused had lured the complainant with the promise of selling an iPhone7 for a cheap price. The market price of an iPhone 7 is around Rs 85,000.

According to customs sources, this time they received a complaint from the Chhattisgarh-based teen on the official social media page of the agency. The teen in his complaint inquired about Kolal, after which officials informed him that no such person works in the department.

According to the teen, who didn’t want to be named, he contacted Kolal on WhatsApp after he saw an advertisement for a second-hand iPhone. He deposited Rs 22,000 in Kolal’s account.

Kolal emailed the teen an airport entry pass (AEP), which he said was issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). In the entry pass, Kolal is designated as a customs official of Mumbai airport.