Woman alleges scam over passport scans at duty-free shop, Delhi Airport reacts
A woman who recently arrived in Delhi from the US has alleged a “scam” at Indira Gandhi International Airport after employees at a duty-free shop sought and scanned the passports of her and her family members.
Pooja Tomarr Sikarwar shared a video on Instagram where she was seen seated in a car with her husband and two children soon after arriving in Delhi.
In the video, Pooja recounted her experience at the Delhi Airport, where she said her family bought a liquor bottle from the duty-free store after landing. However, Pooja questioned why the employee of the store also asked for her passport and that of her nine-month-old toddler when the purchase was being made by just one member of her family.
“Indira Gandhi Airport mein saare scams ki limit cross ho gayi hai (All limits of scams at Indira Gandhi Airport have been crossed),” Pooja said in the video. “Humlog aaj hi wahaan land kiye US se aur aake humne duty free se liquor ka bottle khareeda (We landed in Delhi from the US today and bought a bottle of liquor from the duty-free store).”
“Jo khareedta hai, unka hi document lagna chaahiye (The documents of the person making the purchase should be required),” she said, adding that the employee asked for passports and boarding passes.
Her husband handed over his documents, which the employee then began scanning.
Pooja’s husband said they questioned the employee about the need to scan the passports. He alleged that the employee said he was checking for offers and would check the other passports for the same.
The employee referred to an offer under which buying one chocolate would get customers 10% off on another. He questioned whether such a process at the airport could involve unauthorised data collection.
He also raised concerns about passengers’ personal information being collected without their knowledge. “Ya phir yeh aisa scam chal raha hai ki aapke jaankari ke bina, aapki personal information li jaa rahi hai (Or is this a scam where your personal information is being taken without your knowledge), he asked.
He also questioned whether such information was being used to create a database. “Maine unse yeh kahaa bhi ki yeh sirf Indians ki baat nahi hai, foreigners bhi yahaan aate hain, aur yeh desh ke liye achcha sandesh nahi jaata hai (I also told them that this is not just about Indians; foreigners come here too, and this does not send a good message about the country),” he said.
He urged passengers arriving at IGI Airport to provide their passport only if they were making a purchase and not hand over documents belonging to other family members.
The video was captioned, “IGI Airport Terminal 3 Delhi Scam.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pooja Tomarr Sikarwar (@pooja_umreeka)
Meanwhile, Delhi Airport responded to the video through its official Instagram account, saying it regretted the inconvenience caused and sought more details about the incident.
The airport’s response comes as the matter remains under investigation. This article will be updated with further details as and when they become available.- EndsPublished By: Raya GhoshPublished On: Sep 11, 2026 11:19 IST
