2 cops held for extorting gold worth ₹50 lakh from businessmen at Delhi airport

The suspects – Robin Singh and Gaurav Kumar – were posted as security officers at the IGI Airport Terminal 3, said police officers, adding that the gold items have been recovered from their possession.

Two Delhi Police head constables were arrested on Saturday for allegedly extorting gold items worth ₹50.6 lakh from two businessmen, who arrived at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport from Muscat and Qatar on December 20, police said on Sunday.

A departmental inquiry has been initiated against them, said police.

The suspects – Robin Singh and Gaurav Kumar – were posted as security officers at the IGI Airport Terminal 3, said police officers, adding that the gold items have been recovered from their possession.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), a certain Salaudeen Kathat (24), who left India for the Middle East in 2020 for work, was given 600grams gold by an acquaintance in Muscat. Kathat was asked to deliver the gold in Delhi in exchange for money, the FIR stated. “On December 20, when I arrived at IGI airport, these two policemen stopped my taxi near the forecourt area. They forced me to sit in their vehicle and took me to the police station, where they asked me about the gold. They then took me to a forest area, where they beat me up and threatened me. I was scared and gave them the gold. They also broke my sim card and put my phone on reset mode. They gave me some cash and booked a cab for me. They warned me not to tell anyone about the incident,” the FIR states.

On the same day, another passenger, Shaikh Kadar Bashi, who came from Dubai, was also accosted by the suspects, who took 400grams gold from his possession. “Singh and Kumar...stopped me and searched me. They took all my gold,” said Bashi in his complaint.

Ravi Kumar Singh, the deputy commissioner of police (IGI airport), said, “We clubbed both the complaints and lodged an FIR of extortion and mischief against Singh and Kumar. After the suspects were identified by the complainants during test identification parade, they were arrested on Sunday. A departmental inquiry has been initiated against them.”

The DCP added that since the complainants had not paid custom duties for the gold, the police have brought this matter to the knowledge of the custom department.