Mumbai, January 12: After a DNA report exposed how touts at the international airport are fooling security personnel and passengers by dressing up in uniforms, the police have decided to combat the menace by installing 24 CCTV cameras outside the domestic airport terminals as well as in the parking area.
Working in partnership with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), the police have booked 45 touts in just 15 days. “If the touts can dress in uniforms to mislead us, our men in civil clothes are also all set to beat them in the guessing game,” said deputy commissioner of police Satyanarayan Chaudhary on Tuesday.
“It has been a cause of concern that these touts have to be let off after charging a minor fine, which hardly deters them. This is why we have now prepared a dossier of these 45 touts with their photographs and other details so that it will be easier to spot them at the airport if they try to repeat the offence,” added Chaudhary.
Chaudhary added that while the CISF is cooperating on the surveillance front, MIAL’s help is being sought for awareness and infrastructure-related assistance. ” Earlier, we concentrated on the operational area of the airport, but now the city-side in front of the terminals or the parking area has also been put under CCTV surveillance since last 15-20 days,” the MIAL spokesperson said.
The police have instructed the hotels in the vicinity to send a list of their representatives who are sent to receive guests. “We have been receiving lists everyday and have made it mandatory for these representatives to carry identity cards as well as an authority letter from their respective hotels,” said Chaudhary.
DNA had recently reported about the touts doing brisk business at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) right under the nose of the enforcement agencies. On being asked whether the measures will be extended to CSIA, Chaudhary said, “In a recent meeting we were assured by MIAL that we will have the same set up at CSIA by March.”
–Agencies