PUNE: The Airport police have booked a retired employee of a public sector bank and his accomplice for allegedly duping the Central Customs Department to the tune of Rs1.46 million between January and April this year.
Dnyandev Sabale (50) of Morwadi in Pimpri lodged a complaint with the Airport Police Station on Tuesday following which police booked the retired employee (age 68) of Dighi and his accomplice from Vimannagar.
Sabale works with the bank’s Vishrantwadi branch, which manages the extended counter of the bank at the Lohegaon International Airport, and lodged the complaint after the alleged fraud came to light.
As international flights arrive in Pune late in the night or during wee hours, many passengers, who arrive at the airport from foreign countries, are required to pay customs duty or fees, if they are carrying anything valuable. Foreigners and Indian citizens can deposit customs’ duty or fees at the airport bank counter.
The customs officers at the airport check the valuables and after inspection they decide the customs duty or fees to be levied on travellers bringing in valuables. The custom duty is required to be deposited at the extended counter of the bank at the airport.
The bank, according to police, appointed a retired cashier to run the extended counter at night. Assistant inspector P. B. Kolte, who is investigating the case, told TOI that the bank issues three chalans – one for traveller, one for the customs’ department and one for the bank. “We are going to tally these challans to ascertain from where the crime originated. At present, it can be said that the money has not been deposited in the bank in favour of the Central Customs Department. We have asked for the challans from the Customs and the bank to conduct the tally,” he said.
Kolte saidchallans were issued to about 16 passengers who paid the customs’ duty amounting to Rs1.46 million.
