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
Cheetham Hill: Tonnes of fake goods seized in raids repurposed
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
Hyderabad: Police bust gang involved in selling fake products of popular brands; 4 held
Hyderabad: West Zone Task Force police have busted a gang involved in manufacturing and selling fake food and other general store items of popular brands in Hyderabad.
Police have arrested four people so far. They have been identified as Ajay Kumar Bhure (30), who works at Jayalaxmi Transport, Attapur, Syed Imran (24), in charge of the warehouse at Katedan, Premraj Purohit (34) of Nimboliadda, and Premraj Purohith (32) of Afzalganj are distributors.
The gang leaders Kamal Bhati (46) of Kachiguda and Mahender Singh Rathore are still at large.
According to West Zone Task Force DCP Radha Kishan Rao, on credible information, they apprehended four people and seized goods worth Rs. 16 lakh.
The seized items included fake Parachute hair oil, Red label tea powder, Colgate Paste, Good Night Liquid, Head & Shoulders Shampoo, labels, boxes, stickers, empty bottles, packing boxes, and other items used in the preparation and adulteration of the items.
https://newsmeter.in/hyderabad/hyderabad-police-bust-gang-involved-selling-food-items-popular-brands-4-held-710476
Cash & goods worth ₹47cr seized in less than a week
Bengaluru: Almost a week since the announcement of the model code of conduct (MCC) on March 29, Election Commission officials have seized cash, goods, liquor and drugs worth Rs 47 crore in several parts of Karnataka.
This apart, flying squad teams have seized Rs 30 lakh in Bengaluru’s Chickpet and another Rs 43 lakh in Bailhongal constituency of Belagavi district.
According to an official release by Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, until Monday, police, income tax officials and other squads have cumulatively seized Rs 13 crore in cash from various assembly constituencies. Besides, the excise department has seized 2.8 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 16 crore. Drugs worth Rs 41 lakh and freebies worth Rs 10.8 crore have also been recovered. Other seizures include 13kg of gold worth Rs 6.7 crore and 88kg of silver worth Rs 64 lakh. Following these raids, 316 FIRs have been registered. Arms licences of seven persons have been cancelled and arms of 10 persons impounded.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/cash-goods-worth-47cr-seized-in-less-than-a-week/articleshow/99227678.cms?from=mdr
Rs 6 crore gold seized at Mumbai international airport, second biggest haul of 2023
MUMBAI: Customs officers arrested two persons, including a United Arab Emirates (UAE) national, with 10kg gold worth Rs 6 crore in two separate cases at the Mumbai international airport on Saturday. This is the second biggest seizure at the city airport this year so far. In February, two Kenyans were caught with 18 kg of gold worth Rs 9 crore.
The Air Intelligence Unit of Customs department received a tip-off and intercepted UAE national Yaqoob Mohammed Alblooshi who arrived from Dubai on Saturday and crossed the green channel without declaring anything and moved towards the exit gate.
The officials detained him and carried out a thorough check of his luggage which resulted in the recovery of 10 pieces of 24 karat gold weighing 9 kg worth over Rs 4.6 crore. He was produced before a holiday court which remanded him to judicial custody.
In the second case, Customs officers detained a passenger, identified only as Zeeshan, who was found to be carrying gold dust in wax form valued at Rs 1.1 crore. During interrogation, it was learnt that the gold was handed over to the lounge staff on departure by two Indian passengers transiting Mumbai.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/rs-6-crore-gold-seized-at-mumbai-international-airport-second-biggest-haul-of-2023/articleshow/99197030.cms?from=mdr
Liquor bottles seized from coffin inside an ambulance in Bihar
Bottles of illegal liquor wrapped properly in a white shroud, instead of a dead body, were found inside an ambulance on its way to Bihar’s Muzaffarpur from Jharkhand’s Ranchi. The State excise department officials, though, were not surprised by the collection of spirits inside a coffin as they earlier had received a tip-off of the liquor smuggling.
The excise officials on Monday seized as many as 212 IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor) bottles, amounting to nearly 159 litres, from the ambulance near Dheerja bridge on the Bihar-Jharkhand border.
Two persons, driver Lalit Kumar Mahto of Ranchi and Pankaj Yadav of the Chatra district, in Jharkhand, were inside the ambulance. When the excise officials started searching the ambulance, they told them that a dead body was inside the coffin and even let the officials speak to the grieving family members. They also produced a death certificate to the excise officials, but the date of the death written on the certificate was mismatched.
On the same day on March 27, a huge consignment of liquor bottles worth lakhs of rupees was seized from inside a septic tank in the Saharsa district, while a day after, hundreds of liquor bottles were recovered from a graveyard in the Vaishali district. Every day, smugglers of illegal liquor in dry Bihar dig out new ways to ferry bottles into the State.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/liquor-bottles-seized-from-coffin-inside-an-ambulance-in-bihar/article66671834.ece
Customs seizes smuggled cigarettes worth ₱19-M
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Monday it recently seized 24,950 reams of smuggled cigarettes in Davao del Sur worth ₱19 million.
According to the BOC Water Patrol Division, motorized boat “MV Amiesha” and its cargo covered with tarpaulin were sighted along the territorial waters of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
Upon inspection, the bureau said crew members failed to present legal documents for the cigarettes, prompting authorities to confiscate the cargo. It was not immediately clear when the cigarettes were seized.
The confiscated cigarettes in 499 cases violated Section 117 of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016, the BOC said.
The bureau said Port of Davao District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria already issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the contraband.
In September 2022, two lawmakers filed House BIll No. 3917, which seeks to classify cigarette smuggling as economic sabotage and a non-bailable offense punishable with jail time of 30 to 40 years.
http://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/3/27/Customs-seizes-smuggled-cigarettes-worth-19M.html
Manipur: Fake liquor manufacturing unit busted in Thoubal
Imphal: A fake liquor manufacturing unit was busted in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Sunday, police said.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house in the Khongjam area and seized a huge quantity of fake Indian Made Foreign Liquors (IMFL), they said.
“Empty bottles and materials used in packaging were also recovered,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Jogeshchandra Haobijam.
The fake liquors were made by concocting chemicals, he said.
Police are on the lookout for the owner of the house, Bobo Singh, and have detained two members of his family for questioning, he added.
https://www.eastmojo.com/manipur/2023/03/27/fake-liquor-manufacturing-unit-busted-in-manipurs-thoubal/