The Ravet police have arrested three accused for allegedly refilling LPG cylinders in a tin shed at Punavale on April 14.
The instances of LPG gas black-marketing are reported almost every day from Pune and nearby areas. In a similar incident, the Pimpri- Chinchwad police raided a tin shed near Torna Hotel in Punavle near the Mumbai-Pune highway.
As per the reports the police received a tip-off that some people are allegedly refilling LPG gas from commercial cylinders into another cylinder in a dangerous manner putting the life of the resident at risk.
Acting on a tip-off Assistant police inspector P.R Shikalgar and his team raided the tin shed and arrested the accused Kishore Kumar Bhakarram Medhwal (Age 22 Years, Business- Gas Sales Behind Torna Hotel Mumbai Pune Highway Punawle ), Ritesh Suresh Yadav (Age 21 Business Gas – Sales Behind Torna Hotel Mumbai Pune Highway Punavale), Rajaram Lalaram Bishnoi (Age 38 Years Business Gas Sales Ra Torana Hotel Behind Mumbai Pune Highway Punavle) and seized 16 filled gas cylinders worth Rs.32656, 40 empty gas cylinders worth Rs.68,000, Mahindra pickup truck worth Rs.5,00,000, Refrigeration materials worth Rs.8,000, a weigh scale.
Pune: Ravet police bust illegal LPG gas racket, goods worth Rs 6,08,656 seized
Gold, Electronic Goods Worth About Rs 2 Cr Seized at Chennai Airport
Over three kilograms of gold was seized at the airport here from two passengers who arrived here from a gulf nation, the customs department said on Sunday.
Gold chains concealed in the under garment of the passengers along with the precious metal hidden in their body in paste form were retrieved after they were found moving suspiciously at the international terminal here on Friday, a press release said.
The authorities also recovered mobile phones, laptops and cigarettes from the duo.
In total, 3.42 kilograms of gold valued at Rs 1.83 crore and electronic goods worth Rs 25 lakh were confiscated under relevant sections of Customs Act, 1962.
The passengers were arrested and later released on bail.
https://www.news18.com/india/gold-electronic-goods-worth-about-rs-2-cr-seized-at-chennai-airport-7561651.html
Mumbai Police Bust Counterfeit Levi’s Factory in Goregaon; Seize Fake Products Worth Rs 16 Lakh
The Mumbai crime branch has arrested a person for manufacturing counterfeit products of American brand Levi’s of Levi Strauss & Co, California and has seized goods worth Rs 16 lakh, reports said on Sunday.
Officials conducted raids at the warehouse belonging to Smita Enterprises and recovered items including 300 T-shirts and machinery, a Times Now report said. The raid was carried out after observing the firm for several days.
Officials discovered that a warehouse was producing and selling substandard products under the well-known American brand in the city’s open markets, shops, malls, and other outlets, in an attempt to deceive customers.
During the raid, the owner of Netrika Enterprises, who was also present, filed a complaint after inspecting the goods and confirming that they were counterfeit.
The accused owner of Smita Enterprises has confessed to the crime, it said. According to a Mid-day report, the 35-year-old accused has been arrested and booked under sections 420, 51, and 63 of the Copyright Trademark Act.
According to the report, the police are investigating the possibility of the accused being part of a larger network.
https://www.news18.com/india/mumbai-police-bust-counterfeit-levis-factory-in-goregaon-seize-fake-products-worth-rs-16-lakh-7563151.html
Kolkata: Tata Steel and West Bengal Police seize fake Tata products in raid
Kolkata: Tata Steel officials, with the help of the West Bengal Police, recently conducted a raid on a manufacturing unit situated in Kolkata, the company said in a press release.
On April 10, 2023, Tata Steel officials, in collaboration with the West Bengal Police, conducted a raid on a manufacturing unit located in Kolkata, for infringing the Tata brand name and allegedly manufacturing and selling fake Tata bearing products illegally.
The Tata Bearing branded products are packaged in a unique manner and all original products are sold with the same packaging by authorised dealers and distributors only.
Upon receiving information about the unscrupulous activity, Tata Steel along with the West Bengal Police conducted the raid on the unit on April 10, 2023, and seized huge quantities of Tata Bearing outer boxes, packaging material, price labels, and other related items.
https://www.indiablooms.com/finance-details/18193/kolkata-tata-steel-and-west-bengal-police-seize-fake-tata-products-in-raid.html
Border Force seizes $48 million in illegal cigarettes and tobacco
Australian Border Force have seized a record haul of an illegal and illicit substance this Easter weekend, with a warning to those trying to smuggle it in. A massive haul of illegal cigarettes and tobacco has been seized by the Australian Border Force in its biggest weekend haul to date.
ABF officers seized a total of $48.8 million in illicit tobacco products between Good Friday and Easter Monday through its NSW Container Examination Facility. There were 28 million cigarettes worth $32.6 million and 9,762kg of tobacco worth $16.2 million were detected across multiple shipments.
The goods had been declared as consignments containing everyday items like toilet paper, sofa chairs and car scanners. The various shipments arrived from China, Singapore, and Korea and were not linked to one particular crime syndicate.
The criminals behind the shipments have been identified by the ABF according to Superintendent Jared Leighton. “Tobacco and cigarette smuggling is not a victimless crime – with profits from illegal sales in Australia often being used to fund other criminal activity both here and overseas,” Superintendent Leighton said.
https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/border-force-seizes-48-million-in-illegal-cigarettes-and-tobacco/news-story/a420b863a202d481f1875d681c60a086
Cheetham Hill: Tonnes of fake goods seized in raids repurposed
Police have repurposed about 300 tonnes of counterfeit goods seized from shops masquerading as legitimate businesses. The items, retrieved from Cheetham Hill and Strangeways in Manchester, have now been recycled for the community.
The work forms part of Operation Vulcan, which has shut down more than 100 fake designer shops in the city. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said there was still a “long way to go” to eradicate criminality from the area.
Operation Vulcan was implemented in November to crack down on counterfeit shops which the force said had “blighted the communities for decades”.
GMP said a top priority for the operation was to minimise waste and make sure the counterfeit items could be put to better use.
Working with a specialist company, Lighthouse Security, police have been able to rebrand seized items such as hats, T-shirts and gloves and give them to charities and local community organisations.
Those which are unsuitable or unsafe have been shredded and then reused to create items such as dog bedding or horse blankets.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-65249750
BSF Jawans Seize Huge Quantity Of Phensedyl On Indo-Bangladesh Border
BSF troops under South Bengal Frontier foiled the plans of smugglers and seized a total of 521 bottles of Phensedyl from their area of responsibility in the Indo-Bangladesh International Border areas. The estimated value of the seized Phensedyl bottles is Rs.1,06,966/-.
The incident took place on 12 April, 2023 at around 0410 hrs, in the area of BSF’s Border Out Post Bajidpur, 107 Battalion. Acting on the intelligence, the jawans on duty noticed that 04 smugglers were moving towards the border with some bags. The jawans immediately cordoned off the area and started searching. During the search, the smugglers present in the area fled taking advantage of the thick darkness. The jawans recovered 295 bottles of Phensedyl from the spot.
Apart from this, in other incidents, jawans of Border Out Post Mahadipur, 70 Battalion, Border Out Post Natna, 84 Battalion and Border Out Post Dobarpara, Adhoc SB-III Battalion have seized a total of 226 bottles of Phensedyl from their area of responsibility.
The seized Phensedyl bottles were handed over to the concerned agencies for further legal action.
Expressing satisfaction over the success of the jawans, the spokesman of South Bengal Frontier appreciated them a lot. He stated that this is only a reflection of the vigilance displayed by the BSF jawans on duty. He has urged the people not to adopt the route of smuggling under any circumstances. He stated in strong words that BSF jawans will not allow smuggling or any other kind of crime to take place on the border under any circumstances and will not spare the persons involved in it.
https://neindiabroadcast.com/2023/04/12/bsf-jawans-seize-huge-quantity-of-phensedyl-on-indo-bangladesh-border-3/
Nagpur police busts counterfeit branded clothing racket
The youth today are showing an increased interest in branded clothing due to the growth of e-marketing. However, in their pursuit of profit, several shops in the city are deceiving customers by selling fake branded clothes.
The city is currently facing a significant issue where a large-scale operation involving the sale of counterfeit branded clothing is being carried out in prominent stores. Recently, a substantial crackdown was conducted in Itwari, confiscating hundreds of jeans and T-shirts. This action has triggered a state of fear among garment traders in Nagpur.
A complaint was lodged with the police stating that several shops in the city were selling counterfeit clothing under the guise of renowned brands. After obtaining clearance from senior police officials two days ago, four shops in Itwari were subjected to a raid, during which a substantial quantity of fake jeans and T-shirts were seized. These clothing items were labelled with prominent brand names and were being sold at a similar price point.
During the police raids, several shops in the area including Deepa Readymade (with 178 seized jeans), Bhandar, and Maa Mahalaxmi Garments (111 seized items), Monish Garments (106 seized items), and Sharda Garments (125 seized items) were found to be selling counterfeit clothing under the guise of Levi’s brand clothing. The police also seized a significant quantity of fake T-shirts along with the jeans.
https://www.lokmattimes.com/maharashtra/nagpur-police-busts-counterfeit-branded-clothing-racket/
Counterfeit clothes worth more than £6m seized in Manchester raids
Greater Manchester Police said officers had closed down 18 shops in Manchester’s Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas in a two-week period.
It said it found “dilapidated”, rat-infested buildings with “dangerous homemade electricity, hidden weapons and [no] proper means of escape”.
The force said the seized items would be repurposed or recycled.
Insp Andy Torkington said officers had been “relentlessly targeting these illegitimate shops, but we are aware of the few remaining units who are attempting to operate in the area”.
“We will be targeting these premises imminently and our investigations will continue as we seek out and arrest those involved,” he said.
He said the force was “seeing excellent progress in the area” and the feedback from the public had been “overwhelmingly supportive, but there is still more to be done”.
He said the latest raids were part of “five months of relentless action”, but “criminality” had been embedded in the area “for decades” so more needed to be done.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-65225192
Awareness Programme on Preventive Strategies to Combat Counterfeiting and Smuggling
Date: 6 April 2023 | R D S College, Muzaffarpur, Bihar
FICCI CASCADE organised a seminar on “Preventive Strategies to Combat Counterfeiting and Smuggling” on 5th April 2023 to raise awareness and outreach amongst the policy makers, industry, media and enforcement officials in building a proactive strategy to curb this growing menace of counterfeiting and smuggling. The winners of the competition were awarded at the seminar.
Mr. Gopal Meena, Commissioner, Muzaffarpur, Govt of Bihar was the chief guest at the programme. Mr. Meena highlighted that counterfeiting and smuggling poses significant health and safety threats to consumers and such awareness programs will play a paramount role in protecting them from the hazards posed by illicit trade. He stated that before buying any product consumers should check the originality of the product by using advanced technological solutions such as bar codes, QR codes, holograms etc. He further urged them to take strong and effective measures to combat this growing menace.
Mr. Pankaj Sinha, Inspector General of Police, Bihar in his address stated that smuggling and counterfeiting impacts the economic stability of the country. India has vast porous borders which further adds to the problem of smuggling. Mr. Sinha mentioned that effective enforcement action, increased border management, better surveillance mechanisms, latest technology, enhanced consumer awareness and more youth engagement are few measures to address the twin hazards of smuggling and counterfeiting.
Mr. Pranav Kumar, Collector, Muzaffarpur opined that awareness is the key in eradicating the growing menace of illicit trade impacting our day-to-day life, which needs to be addressed on a priority. He emphasized to ask a bill while making a purchase to safeguard the consumers from being duped by illicit market operators. Mr. Kumar congratulated FICCI CASCADE for taking the initiative to spread knowledge and empower the public by organizing such an enlightening seminar in the state of Bihar.
While giving the overview on smuggling and counterfeiting, Mr. P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) highlighted that they are a huge area of concern as it impacts the health and safety of the general public, along with revenue losses to industry and tax losses to the government. The individuals engaged in such illicit trading activities have established criminal networks that have expanded globally. Mr. Jha apprised that staying vigilant is the need of the hour for fighting the menace of smuggling & counterfeiting.
Mr. Rajiva Ranjan Verma, Former Director General, RPF, NCRB, Civil Defense, Home Guard & Fire Services and BPR&D accentuated that by raising awareness about the harmful impact of illicit trade, we can keep the public informed and educated about the dangers and consequences of illicit trade. Mr. Verma mentioned that undoubtedly, the vision and support of youth is paramount in freeing the nation from the grip of illicit trade.
FICCI CASCADE is implementing various measures to raise widespread awareness in society about the grave danger of smuggling and counterfeiting, with the aim of preventing their detrimental impact. FICCI CASCADE has arranged a series of programmes throughout the country to underscore the escalating threat of illegal trade and to promote effective preventive measures to tackle this issue.
Media CoverageDownload Pdf