A week after two squads of plainclothes policemen were deployed outside the domestic and international airports in an attempt to nab touts,who are known for harassing and cheating foreigners,the Mumbai Police have claimed that the number of complaints against the fraudulent agents have decreased considerably. Acting on several complaints against touts,who allegedly fleece foreign passengers,Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 8) Satya Narayan Chowdhury had deployed two six-member squads of policemen on the airport premises. Touts would pose as agents and offer to exchange foreign currency for Indian rupees,but they cheat passengers in the process. The agents would also offer to take the foreigners to hotels for cheap rates and claim their commission. While many of these touts operate with the support of local taxi and autorickshaw drivers,many others pose as drivers holding placards with names,so as to divert others attention and blend in with the crowd, said Chowdhury. We have set up two squads of six policemen each,three during the day and three other in nights,to patrol in plainclothes. These policemen have been instructed to be on the lookout for suspicious looking men who try to persuade foreigners into hailing a taxi. They will report only to me, said Chowdhury. According to police,though the squads have been patrolling the airport premises since last week,they have not come across any major complaints of harassment. We have fined a few auto and taxi drivers for coming inside the airport,but it appears that the touts knew that the police had been alerted. Nowadays no nuisance-monger is seen here, said a police officer.
