At Kochi’s Nedumbassery Airport, an AKeralite NRI (Non-Resident Indian) staged a sit-in protest as he allegedly couldn’t bring in an iPhone 18 Pro without paying hefty customs of Rs20,000 to Rs30,000. According to Ajas, he purchased the phone from Dubai for his own use. Nedumbassery Police has filed a case against Ajas Mohammed for allegedly “interfering with the duty of customs officers,” according to reports in the Indian media. Many expats have expressed their worries about what they perceive to be unfair extortion and discrimination against NRIs on social media in response to the act.
Ajas, the creator of the educational website Eduport, claimed that because he had a second phone, the customs agents informed him that he would have to pay duties on the new phone; when he refused to pay, the phone was taken. Ajas told Indian media that he would not “give even one rupee unjustly” and that other travellers using iPhone Pros paid fines ranging from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000. The NRI then threatened to stay calmly in the airport till he received his phone if he did not get it. Ajas said that he was forcibly taken from the location by members of Kerala’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
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