Factory of counterfeit products unearthed
The police have unearthed a factory manufacturing and selling counterfeit products of popular household items like Harpic toilet cleaner, Dettol soap and Tata salt among others.
Two persons were arrested in this connection, the police said. They have been identified as factory manager Vicky and salesman Joginder. They will be produced in a local court tomorrow.
Inspector Lalit Kumar, SHO, Chandimandir police station, said they had received a complaint in this regard. Acting on it, they conducted a raid at the factory in Beer Ghaggar village in Chandimandir today.
Finished goods and raw material in large quantities were recovered from the factory, he said, adding that two people were arrested at the spot.
Among the counterfeit items recovered were 182 empty wrappers and 374 filled packets of Tata salt, 180 empty and 525 filled bottles of Harpic toilet cleaner, 500 Dettol soaps and 300 empty and 177 filled bottles of Dabur rose water.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/factory-of-counterfeit-products-unearthed-370593
Lear MoreKey accused in Rs 12 crore cigarette smuggling held
MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a key accused in the smuggling of imported cigarettes worth Rs 12 crore by mis-declaring them as dates.
Akram Salim Stampwala (33), a resident of Mumbra, was on the run since the DRI in June 2021 busted the smuggling syndicate.
Lear MoreFake mosquito repellent stick unit busted in Odisha
PARADIP: A fake mosquito repellent incense stick manufacturing unit here at Tarinigada was busted and its owner Rabindra Nayak of Tarashai village arrested by local police on Saturday.
The action was initiated basing a complaint filed by Bangalore-based Sleep Well Mosquito Repellent company that alleged that the local unit was using its fake logos and stickers to manufacture substandard repellent and selling in the market.
The company officials on getting information, visited Paradip and found that the unit was using its logos and manufacturing repellents without permission. They also found that the unit was not approved by Central Insecticide Board which is mandatory under the Central government’s regulations on production of any household insecticide product.
Soon, the officials lodged a complaint with Paradip Model police after which a team led by IIC Subhalaxmi Pujari along with a Bengaluru-based investigation team raided the unit and seized 250 sealed mosquito repellent incense stick packets and a pick-up van and 100 litre chemicals. While Rabindra was arrested from the spot, Bikash, his son, managed to flee.
Lear MorePune: Flyer held with gold worth Rs 34.8 lakh for smuggling
PUNE: Attempts to smuggle gold continues at the city airport despite scheduled international flight operations remaining suspended because of Omicron infections.
Pune customs officers on February 7 arrested a flyer for attempting to smuggle 708 grams of gold bars and pieces, collectively worth Rs34. 81 lakh, on a special international flight operating at present. He had concealed the gold in his shoes, the customs authorities said on Friday.
“The arrest was made based on a tip-off from officers of the air intelligence unit of the Pune customs. On interrogation, the passenger confessed that he had travelled from Dubai to Ahmedabad in an international flight, concealed the gold in the aircraft, and then retrieved it when he was travelling from Ahmedabad to Pune in the same aircraft. The passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act for his attempt to smuggle gold into the country,” a customs official said.
Scheduled international flight operations were to start from India from December 15 last year but was postponed after the emergence of the Omicron variant. At present, the Pune airport has a SpiceJet’s international flight flying to Sharjah thrice a week. Before the pandemic, the airport had two flights to Dubai — one operated by SpiceJet and the other by Air India Express.
Lear MoreLaunch of Anti-Smuggling Day, 2022
The existence and operation of illicit markets such as smuggling has been an enduring problem. India because of its topographical diversity and difficult terrain is usually exploited by smuggling cartels, posing a huge challenge to law enforcement agencies in their collective efforts to thwart cross border smuggling. The effects of smuggling are numerous and economically significant.
In order to give further impetus on the work done in the anti-smuggling domain, FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) earmarked 11 February as an Anti-Smuggling Day beginning 2022. ‘Anti-Smuggling Day’ will represent a major step in the fight against the global menace of smuggling.
Mr Balesh Kumar, Member-Investigation, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, while delivering the keynote address at the launch of Anti-Smuggling Day, said, “Smuggling which is a huge threat to national security, requires all stakeholders including industry to come together to tackle it.” He also stated that the government has always been committed to combating the menace of smuggling and have institutionalized coordination between agencies, which has helped in generating volumes of information that are not only timely but also accurate leading to major seizures. Quoting a recent seizure, Mr Kumar informed, “As recent as 6th Feb 2022, DRI in Imphal, Manipur effected a seizure of 12.5 kgs of gold coming across from Myanmar and over 46 lakh sticks of cigarettes worth Rs 9.5 crores in one single operation.”
Anti-Smuggling Day was launched with an objective of enhancing coordination and cooperation between law enforcement agencies, facilitating better exchange of information and experiences, and building a strong network to find innovative solutions to combat the menace of smuggling.
Highlighting the several initiatives undertaken by the World Customs Organisation to fight the menace of smuggling, Mr PK Das, Director, Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, World Customs Organisation in his special address said, “Smugglers and other criminals who are known to be agile and creative have also profited from the fruits of globalization and technological advances. They are misusing the opportunities presented by technology for their nefarious activities. The customs department has a major role to play in mitigating the challenges posed by illicit trade for the country and the economy.”
Speaking on the need for an Anti-Smuggling Day, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, “Despite smuggling being a global menace, due focus and thrust has not been given to this mounting threat which is not only damaging our exchequer and leading to job losses but is also impacting the safety and security of nations worldwide. In this context, it is critical to emphasize and generate global awareness about the fact that the root cause of illicit trade lies in smuggling.”
“With FICCI CASCADE taking the lead in launching the Anti-Smuggling Day today, I am confident that in the years to come, it will not only raise greater awareness on the issue but will also get to the core of the problem which eventually will minimize the all-round dreadful impact of smuggling and related activities,” he added.
Mr Najib Shah, Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE while moderating the session on Containing the Menace of Smuggling: Securing National Economy said “Anti-Smuggling Day apart from spreading awareness on the ill-effects of smuggling will further enhance cooperation between all enforcement agencies who are tasked to thwart the menace of smuggling”.
“Indian Customs, including DRI, has built a robust legal and administrative system, pioneering the implementation of automation, risk management, data analytics, and passenger profiling to combat smuggling effectively”, said Dr D P Dash, Former Pr. Director-General, DRI, Former Chairman, Enforcement Committee, World Customs Organisation (WCO) and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE in his concluding remarks.
The webinar also saw a host of notable speakers such as Mr Stefano Betti, Deputy Director-General, Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT), Mr Aniket Singh, DIG and Director (Anti-Smuggling and Narcotics Control), Indian Coast Guard and Mr Amerish Kumar Arya, DIG, Border Security Force, who took part in the deliberations and extended their support to this initiative.
Speakers echoed on a meaningful, regular, and timely discussion as an essential element to protect the domestic interests of every nation and to defeat this worldwide threat.
As a run-up to Anti-Smuggling Day, and to sensitize the youth on the menace of smuggled goods, FICCI CASCADE also organized a Digital Art/Poster making competition on the theme, ‘Stand Against Smuggling’. Mr. Narendra K Sabharwal, Chairman, FICCI IP Committee & Former Deputy Director General, WIPO, Ms. Kameswari Subramanian, International Expert, Customs Law, Procedures & Trade Facilitation and Justice Manmohan Sarin, Former Lokayukta, NCT of Delhi, Chief Justice, High Court of J&K and Judge, High Court of Delhi judged the competition.
Jury Chair, Justice Sarin, while felicitating the winners of the competition said, “Such competitions encourage creative skills and ability in the youth simultaneously sensitizing them to the harmful effects of smuggling and imbibing a resolve to shun illicit products.” The competition witnessed an overwhelming response and saw a plethora of ideas, innovative expression, talent and content exhibited in posters.
The winners of the competition were:
- First Prize: Bharat Garima from Bihar
- Second Prize: Harsh Sahani from Uttar Pradesh
- Third prize: Parveen Kumar from Himachal Pradesh
- Special Incentive Prizes:
- Heba Alam from Delhi and
- Rahul Saini from Delhi
Pre-event Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Assam Rifles foils cross border smuggling in Manipur, seizes illegal goods worth Rs 16.9 lakh
Assam Rifles foiled a cross border smuggling in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district on Friday, and seized illegal goods worth Rs 16.9 lakh.
The official statement of Assam Rifles read: “During a border domination patrol, troops of Assam Rifles uncovered a large number of packages concealed in thick foliage in the forest near Kwatha village. On thorough search of the packages, illegal goods including foreign cigarettes, cosmetic items and betel nuts were recovered. The smuggled items are assessed to be worth Rs 16.9 lakh.”
The recovered items have been handed over to Custom Preventive Force, they said.
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Duplicate toys of popular brands seized in Burrabazar
Two US-based companies had apparently found out about the sale of duplicate toys during a survey they were conducting in various parts of the country
Duplicate toys resembling characters from Walt Disney and Marvel comics have been seized from three toy stores in Burrabazar.
Police have started a case of copyright violation and cheating against the owners of the stores based on the complaint by the representatives of Disney Enterprise Inc and Marvel Character Inc.
These two US-based companies had apparently found out about the sale of duplicate toys during a survey they were conducting in various parts of the country.
Based on the complaint, the enforcement branch of city police raided three toy stores in the ground floor of Lakshmi Katra market on Canning Street and found a large number of alleged counterfeit toys on Wednesday.
“We have started a case under sections of the Copyright Act and that of cheating and criminal conspiracy,” said an officer of the enforcement branch.
The police said the two US-based companies had hired a firm in New Delhi to carry out a survey on the sale of their products across India.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/toys-of-fake-brands-seized-in-burrabazar/cid/1851283
Lear MoreThree held for smuggling tobacco products, foreign cigarettes
Three persons, who were procuring and selling noxious banned tobacco products and smuggled foreign cigarettes, were arrested by Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force (South zone) team here on Wednesday.
The accused are Mohammed Muqaddin (21), a Kirana shop owner from Bahadurpura, Imran Ahmed (36) of YAS General Store from Khaja Nagar, Attapur, and Mohammed Waseem (45), a businessman from Hakimpet. Two others, Yadhav and Kishore from Bidar in Karnataka, are still at large.
According to inspector S. Raghavendra, police seized tobacco products and foreign cigarettes worth ₹12 lakh from the accused.
The trio along with the seized material were handed over to Bahadurpura police for further investigation.
Lear MoreIndore: Adulterated hing powder making unit busted, 1 held
INDORE: Cracking down on trade of fake spices and other adulterated food material, a joint team of Indore crime branch police and district food department on Friday raided a factory and seized hing (asafoetida) powder in large quantity. The estimated value of the seized item was Rs50 lakh.
The police said that they had received a tip-off that a group of people were engaged in manufacturing adulterated hing powder at a factory in Himmat Nagar at Palda industrial area. A joint team of Indore crime branch police and district food department raided the establishment and recovered adulterated hing powder in large quantity. The raiding team also seized raw material including flour and oil along with packaging and labelling material from the establishment.
Factory owner Sahil Makhija, a resident of Palace Colony was arrested. During preliminary investigation, the police found out that the accused was associated with a group of people who were manufacturing adulterated spices in the same factory in the year 2020, and were booked under the National Security Act. The accused however managed to change name of the factory and started production of adulterated spices again.
Lear More15 packs of fake desi ghee seized in Ambala’s Barara
Officials of the food safety department, the police and an Indore-based private detective company seized 15 packs of duplicate Patanjali desi ghee of 1 kg each from a wholesaler in Ambala’s Barara, the police said on Thursday.
Out of the total seized packs, four were taken by the food safety officials for sampling to check adulteration. An FIR was lodged under Sections of the copyright and IPC Acts at the Barara police station on Wednesday.
Akhilesh Pal of the IP Indore Investigation and detective services said they had been authorised by Patanjali and had documents related to copyright and trademark.
“Two wholesalers – Sunderlal Sunil Kumar Traders and Narender Superstore — were checked by us. At Narender superstore, it was found that the design and print of 15 desi ghee packs were different from our client’s company. The packs were made to look similar to the original product,” Pal said.
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