540 touts at IGI airport held in 2024: Police

Booking cab services from non-prepaid taxi booths at Indira Gandhi International Airport could land you in a trap. Giving this information, the Delhi Police said taking action against fraudsters, 540 touts were arrested in 2024. 254 vehicles were seized and 41 preventive apprehensions were undertaken, police officials said on Wednesday.

Comparing the data from last year, DCP (IGI Airport), Usha Rangnani, said that in 2023, 264 touts were arrested which increased to 540 in 2024. 96 vehicles were seized in 2023, this year it increased to 254 and from zero, preventive arrests spiked to 41 this year, she said.

Providing further details, the police officer said 373 touts were residents of Delhi, 107 from Uttar Pradesh, 32 from Haryana and 11 from Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

The DCP said specialised teams in uniform and in plain clothes were deployed at the airport across terminals, arrivals and parking zones. Along with this foot and motorcycle patrolling had been increased, she said.

“Collaborations with RAXA (Airport Security Group) and DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) have strengthened intelligence-sharing and operational coordination. Joint checks with traffic police in forecourt areas to address touting and traffic violations simultaneously,” the officer said.

Sharing some instances, the DCP said in September, a foreign passenger, who had arrived late at night was approached by a tout posing as a helpful local. The police officer said that the tout falsely informed the passenger that Delhi was witnessing heavy protests, leading to closure of all hotels and public transport. “Manipulating the passenger’s concerns, the tout and his associates lured him into their trap with promises of alternate arrangements,” the officer added.

The passenger was taken to multiple locations, where his credit card was used to deposit Rs 98,700 under the guise of arranging a private vehicle to Varanasi. Ultimately, he was abandoned on the roadside, police said. Rangnani said that within 24 hours of receiving the complaint, the police apprehended four persons, including the mastermind Amit Malhotra. Further, the police froze the suspects’ bank accounts recovering the victim’s money.

Similarly, money was extorted from a woman foreign national by misguiding her about hotel closures. Another foreign national was charged Rs 2,500 for a taxi ride from the airport to Chittaranjan (CR) Park which is only 15 km from the airport. Police arrested two persons after analysing CCTV footage from the area.