Shipping firm employee held for smuggling 50 iphones

The Customs officials on Tuesday arrested a marketing manager of a Mumbai-based shipping company while he was trying to smuggle 50 pieces of iphones worth Rs17.75 lakh.

The Customs officials on Tuesday arrested a marketing manager of a Mumbai-based shipping company while he was trying to smuggle 50 pieces of iphones worth Rs17.75 lakh.

HT Image

Fahim Waghoo, an MBA, was caught at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport after he arrived from Dubai by an Emirates flight.

After placing his bag in the screening machine, Waghoo started walking through the green channel. Passengers who do not have anything to declare can only walk through the green channel.

While Waghoo’s bag was passing through the screening machine, Customs officials noted some spots which alerted them.

“When we asked him what is there in the bag, he said there few mobile phones,” a senior Customs official said requesting anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media. He said that on opening the bag, they found 50 iphones.

On being questioned, Waghoo said that he had taken the phones on loan from a friend in Dubai and was to sell the same in Mumbai to earn some profit. “He had planned to repay the friend after selling the iphones,” the official said.

Waghoo admitted that he purposely did not declare the phones in order to avoid payment of customs duty.

The officials also found that Waghoo had gone to Dubai on Monday and returned the next day.

“When asked about such a short visit, he said he had gone to Dubai for a job opportunity,” the official said. Mahendra Pal, additional commissioner of customs, Air Intelligence Unit, confirmed the arrest.