Con artist held for posing as customs inspector in Surat

SURAT: A 25-year-old aviation diploma holder, who dreamed of joining the Army, found himself on the wrong side of the law after police ended his run of pretending to be a customs inspector and scamming people with fake job offers.
The alleged conman, Himanshu Rai, was arrested in the Varachha area by the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) sleuths on Thursday.The investigation revealed his fraudulent schemes across multiple cities.

Rai, a college dropout from Bihar, had was inspired by the prestige and power of govt officials to impersonate a customs inspector. He used his disguise to deceive at least six individuals from Surat, Delhi and Goa, promising them lucrative jobs in airports in exchange for money.
In the past nine months, he defrauded the victims of a total of Rs 12.75 lakh, even going as far as threatening to raid them while posing as an officer.
Rai was apprehended near Bombay Market after police received a tip-off and began monitoring his movements. When caught, he was driving an MUV with a board reading "Crime Surveillance and Intelligence Council", adding an air of officialdom to his deception.
Police seized an array of items used in the deception, including an Army uniform, an air gun lighter, fake customs certificates and an ID card. Rai had even outfitted his vehicle with a number plate resembling that of an Army vehicle to enhance the con.
DCB inspector Kiran Modi shared, "Rai worked as a contracted driver for the Airports Authority of India (AAI). In his time there, he saw the authority officers wield and decided to exploit it for personal gain after losing his job."