KOCHI: A well-oiled system of fleecing air passengers, particularly uneducated Gulf workers returning home on leave, by customs officials at the Cochin International Airport has been unearthed by the CBI.

Armed with video clippings of customs staff at the airport demanding and taking bribes, a CBI team raided the homes and properties of 11 Air Customs and Air Intelligence officials a week ago.

Five officials were suspended by the Customs Department while the CBI arrested three on Thursday. Sources said more officials would be arrested soon.

During the raids, one Air Intelligence superintendent was found to have made an investment of Rs.53 lakh. He had recently built a posh house which was worth more than Rs.40 lakh. Sophisticated electronic gadgets, expensive perfumes, liquor and other goods were found in some of the houses. Sources said this was but a tip of the iceberg.

"The fleecing of passengers at the airport has been going on for a long time and that the entire customs network, including Air Intelligence and Air Customs, was involved in the large-scale corruption and bribery," sources said.

Over the years, the officials had perfected a system whereby each wing and each rank had a specified share of the spoils. For instance, of the total collection of the day, 20 per cent would go to the Air Intelligence and 10 per cent to the sepoys (the lowest cadre).

The superintendents used to get the largest share. Since the preventive officers handled the baggage and questioned the passengers, so far only they were found videographed receiving money, Indian and foreign, goods like high-value electronic items, gold, liquor and textiles.

It is suspected that these officials used to make anything between Rs.50,000 and Rs.3 lakh a month.

Meticulous planning

The raids on the 11 officials on October 18-19 followed meticulous planning and monitoring by the CBI team. With the aid of top airport authorities, secret spy video cameras were installed at the customs counters. These cameras worked full time during October 10-18. The Air Customs and Air Intelligence wings worked on three batches each day. The CBI randomly picked some of the officials found demanding and receiving bribes and raided their homes.

It is learnt that the CBI has a clear picture all of those who were involved in extortion. A number of arrests are expected in the next few days.

Meanwhile, sources in the customs said that officials would do anything to get a posting at the airport. In order to stay on the airport job, many officials had refused promotions.

Nedumbassery airport sources said it was the ignorant Gulf workers who were mostly the victims. These workers, toiling in the Arab countries for years together often for salaries in the range of Rs.5,000 to 10,000 a month, could be easily fleeced as they were ignorant of the customs rules.

For instance, air passengers were allowed to carry two bottles of liquor, but customs officials would terrorise them even if they carried one bottle and fleece a large sum on this account. Officials also helped smuggling of goods as well as undervaluing of dutiable goods.

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