A 47-year-old Zimbabwean national has appeared in court after he was allegedly caught entering South Africa at the Beitbridge border with illicit cigarettes valued at more than R21 million.
Peter Tambudze appeared in Musina Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo on Thursday where he is facing charges of fraud, false declaration, and possession of illicit cigarettes.
The matter was postponed to 14 February for a formal bail application.
It is alleged that on 19 January, Tambudze arrived at the Beitbridge border post from Zimbabwe.
He was driving a truck with two trailers.
“He declared on the SAD 500/Entry form that he is transporting cotton,” Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said.
“Along the way from Musina, police officers stopped the truck and searched it. They found that the truck was loaded with illicit cigarettes worth over R21 million, and he was arrested.”
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/man-arrested-at-beitbridge-border-for-allegedly-smuggling-illicit-cigarettes-worth-r21m-into-sa-20230209
Man arrested at Beitbridge border for allegedly smuggling illicit cigarettes worth R21m into SA
Thane: Counterfeit notes of over Rs 8 crore seized
THANE: As many as seven cases were registered last year of counterfeit currency notes which were valued over Rs 8 crore under the jurisdiction of the Thane city police.
The data states that out of seven cases, six were solved with nearly 100 percent detection. In most of the cases, the accused were making the notes locally with the use of computers, printers etc.
According to statistics in 2021, a total of three cases were registered and all three cases were detected, the number rose to seven in 2022.
Sources from the police department informed that the circulation of counterfeit currency of various denominations takes place as in day to day business where there is minimal risk of being detected as huge transactions take place in various sectors and there is very little time to verify the currency notes due to rapid transactions. “The one who prints the notes gives it to someone in the market for the circulation where getting caught is negligible,” the officer said.
At times, the banks detect the fake notes who then approach police and file cases in the respective police stations. A police officer informed “The bank authorities on finding counterfeit currency notes report such cases and detecting such cases is difficult due to the huge circulation of the notes in day-to-day transactions.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/counterfeit-notes-of-over-8cr-seized/articleshow/97615069.cms
2,000 IMFL bottles seized from Rajkot farmhouse, farmer detained
The officials detained Kalu Shiyal (40), a native of Amreli district, who was working as a sharecropper at the farmhouse.
THE CRIME branch of the Rajkot city police detained a farmer after around 2,000 liquor bottles were seized during a raided at a farmhouse in Ranpar village on the outskirts of the city Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) raided Shivkrupa Farm, around 20 km from the city. The officials found 1,932 bottles of three brands of Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 7.85 lakh.
The officials detained Kalu Shiyal (40), a native of Amreli district, who was working as a share-cropper at the farmhouse. The police said the farmhouse belongs to Rajkot resident Jaydeepsinh Jadeja. An official release stated that Jadeja and Shaktisinh Parmar, also a resident of Rajkot city, are wanted in the case but are on the run.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/2000-imfl-bottles-seized-from-rajkot-farmhouse-farmer-detained-8422492/
Youth held in Bengaluru for printing, circulating fake notes; cops say he learnt from YouTube videos
A 24-year-old man, who learnt how to print fake notes by watching YouTube videos, was arrested by the Bengaluru city police Wednesday. The police said the youth used to provide counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 4 lakh in lieu of Rs 1 lakh genuine notes. The arrested was identified as Pullalarevu Raju, a native of Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh. He was arrested along with his associates Mannela Gopinath (26), Charan Singh (47) and his younger sister R Rajani (38). All the accused hail from various parts of Andhra Pradesh. A police officer said, “Raju, who wanted to make quick money, started watching YouTube on how to prepare fake currency notes. Two months ago, he bought the necessary materials and started printing fake notes.”
Almost 25-30% products sold in India spurious with counterfeiting: Report
NEW DELHI : Almost 25-30% of all products sold in the country are spurious with counterfeiting being most prevalent in apparel and FMCG sectors, followed by pharmaceutical, automotive, and consumer durables, a joint report by Crisil and the Authentication Solution Providers Association (ASPA) said. “Counterfeiting is most prevalent in apparel (31%), FMCG (28%), and Automotives (25%) are the top segments where consumers came across a counterfeit product, followed by Pharmaceuticals (20%), Consumer Durables (17%), and Agrochemicals (16%),” the report said.
Many car dealers in India are selling fake JBL music systems, here’s how you can identify them
Are you planning to buy a new music system for your car? Before you buy, be very careful because a lot of car accessories dealers in India are selling fake and counterfeit products. To tackle the issue, Harman, the parent company of JBL and Infinity is taking legal action against those involved in the manufacture and sale of fake JBL and Infinity Car Audio products in India. After conducting a raid in three markets in Bengaluru, Harman discovered that four car aftermarket dealers were selling counterfeit JBL and Infinity products. Over 500 counterfeit and infringed products were seized by Harman’s investigation team, along with law enforcement officers. The team discovered products being sold in two places that were misusing the JBL mark as JBZ and IGL and selling counterfeit goods in packaging that was deceptively similar to that of JBL and Infinity. The offenders have been subjected to appropriate legal procedures.
Counterfeits constitute 25-30 pc of the market: Report
Almost 25-30 per cent of all products sold in the country are spurious with counterfeiting being most prevalent in apparel and FMCG sectors, followed by pharmaceutical, automotive, and consumer durables, a report said on Monday. Apparel tops the list with 31 per cent counterfeit products, while fast moving consumer goods or FMCG (28 per cent), and automotives (25 per cent) are the other major segments where consumers come across counterfeit products, followed by pharmaceuticals (20 per cent), consumer durables (17 per cent), and agrochemicals (16 per cent), a joint report by Crisil and the Authentication Solution Providers Association said.
Luxury fakes litter online portals
Shoppers looking to snag a luxury timepiece may be tempted by the allure of cut-price products being sold online: a Tag Heuer Mercedes Benz SLR watch, which typically retails at ₹4.72 lakh, can be purchased for as little as ₹2,500, and an Apple Watch paired with the latest AirPods can be found for just ₹2,999. But bargain-seekers beware: these are fakes that rob luxury brands of sales and the government of tax. Besides, these counterfeit products are being promoted by several Indian social media influencers with impunity.
Counterfeit luxury products have long been a problem in India, but the peddling of fake items has become more open of late, with little pushback from brands and enforcement authorities. This has resulted in the proliferation of fake products that are often hard to distinguish from the originals, making it increasingly challenging for shoppers to make informed purchases.
Gold worth nearly ₹45L seized at Cial
Kochi: Sleuths of the Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) on Tuesday foiled yet another bid to smuggle gold into the country through Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial). The team seized 871g of gold in compound form from a carrier who arrived here. According to sources, the passenger had arrived at the airport from Dubai. “On the basis of profiling, officers of the AIU Batch intercepted the passenger from Dubai. During examination, four capsule-shaped packets, suspected to be gold in compound form, were found concealed inside his body. The recovered goods were seized and further investigation in the case is in progress,” said an officer.Customs identified the passenger as Anas, a Palakkad native. The gold, once extracted, is expected to have a value of Rs 44.9 lakh.
DRI seizes electronics worth Rs 80 crore at Mundra SEZ
AHMEDABAD: A team of the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) seized electronic goods, e-cigarettes, mobile accessories, branded shoes and branded watches from within the Mundra Special Economic Zone (SEZ).The seized goods are estimated to have a market value of Rs 80 crore. Investigators said the goods were mis-declared as garment accessories and women’s footwear with a declared value of Rs 1.5 crore.
Officials said specific intelligence was developed on a consignment originating in China. Based on the information, six suspect containers were identified and examined. The containers were found to have 33,138 earphones and batteries for mobile phones, 4,800 e-cigarettes, 7.11 lakh pieces of electronic goods and accessories (batteries, wireless kits, laptop batteries etc.), 29,077 branded bags, shoes and cosmetics, 53,385 branded watches, and 58,927 pieces of automobile parts. The goods were seized under provisions of the Indian Customs Act, 1962.