Ajas Mohammed Jansher at the Kochi airport in Kerala, India
Doha, Qatar: The debate over customs duty on the iPhone 18 Pro will soon move to a courtroom in Kerala, as Dubai-based Indian expatriate Ajas Mohammed Jansher plans to take legal action to retrieve his newly purchased iPhone from customs without paying what he calls 'unjustified duty'.
Ajas's troubles began on October 23, when a customs official at Kochi airport asked him to pay duty on his new iPhone 18 Pro upon his arrival from Dubai. "I already had an old iPhone 14, which I had been using for four years, and so the officials wanted me to pay duty on the new device," Ajas told The Peninsula, adding that he informed the officials that it was for personal use.
His new iPhone was seized by officials, who cited his already carrying another phone as grounds for imposing customs duty.
Ajas posted a video on his social media from the airport, stating that he was protesting against what he called unjust taxation. In the video, he explained, "It is not a crime for an expatriate to carry a phone for personal use when travelling back home. The practice of squeezing money out of expatriates at airports and exploiting those who work hard to earn a living and pay taxes to the government is highly condemnable."
The video garnered 4 million views, with many expressing their support for his cause. He was then escorted out of the airport by the Central Industrial Security Force personnel, while customs officials filed a complaint against Ajas for allegedly obstructing them from performing their duties.
Following repeated enquiries from viewers seeking updates, Ajas said in another video posted on October 27 that a customs officer summoned him to record his statement and urged him to settle the matter. "The official wanted me to pay a small amount as duty, but I am not willing to do that. These rules, which are very ambiguous, give discretionary power to officials. That should change. I want to take a strong stand against the legal complications that many hardworking expatriates endure because of such unclear customs policies," he said.
Ajas told The Peninsula that he had begun legal proceedings to retrieve his new iPhone 18 from the government authorities.
