New Delhi, Jun 28 (IANS): A 53-year-old man, working as a labourer in Saudi Arabia, was allegedly duped of 19,000 Riyals and other belongings by unidentified men impersonated as customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here.

The incident occurred on Sunday and the victim identified as Mohammad Suleman, a resident of Ajmer in Rajasthan.

The victim has filed an FIR at IGI Airport police station.

According to the FIR, Suleman, who had landed at 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, was waiting for his friend Iqbal outside IGI Terminal-3 at around 4 a.m., when he encountered two men posing as customs officials.

The FIR noted that they approached Suleman, claiming that their senior official had summoned him for questioning. While one of the alleged impostors took possession of Suleman's passport, the other confiscated his belongings.

“They then led Suleman towards the parking area, where a third man was waiting in a car. Despite Suleman's repeated inquiries about their department and their intentions, the impersonators remained unresponsive,” as per FIR.

The gang eventually arrived at an isolated location near the Mahipalpur area, where they proceeded to examine Suleman's mobile phones.

Disturbingly, they confiscated his phones, along with 19,000 Riyals and Rs 2,000 in cash. “They allegedly threatened Suleman, claiming that the confiscated items would be deposited into a government account, questioning the source of the mobile phones and currency. Subsequently, the criminals instructed Suleman to exit the vehicle, promising to return with their senior official,” the FIR said. However, they never came back, leaving Suleman stranded and defrauded.

A senior police official said that an FIR has been registered under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and the probe is going on.