India, April 2 -- Five men who claimed to have an in with the Customs department and duped a Kurla-based businessman to the tune of Rs.1 crore by promising him cheap gold, were booked on Monday for cheating. Police said the accused lured the victim by lying that the Customs department auctioned off gold seized at the airport, which they buy at cheap rates to sell it for a price that is lower than the market price.

The complainant, Imtiaz Shaikh, 44, runs a chicken shop and lives near Bharat Cinema in Kurla West with his family. He told the police that he met Anis D and Ganesh S through a mutual friend on the first week of September last year. They told Shaikh about a third person, Ilyas A, who heads their business and sells 24 carat gold...