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.
1.6kg of gold, electronic goods seized from passengers at Chennai Airport
CHENNAI: Customs officers at Chennai airport have seized 1.6 kg of , worth Rs 85 lakh, and assorted electronic goods from passengers who tried to smuggle them into the country. On Tuesday, a passenger who arrived from Dubai via Sri Lanka was intercepted on a tip-off. A search led to the seizure of gold designed like the contact pins in electrical plugs. There were 27 such pins hidden in adaptors. A gold bit hidden in his undergarments, six refurbished laptops and 57 mobile phones were also seized. On Wednesday, 509 gram of gold in paste form was recovered from the rectum of a passenger who arrived from Dubai. A gold ingot weighing 348 gram was seized from a passenger who arrived here from Dubai in another flight.
4 held for sandalwood smuggling in Karnataka
BENGALURU: A gang of four was arrested for allegedly smuggling sandalwood from Huliyurudurga in Tumakuru district and trying to sell it in Bengaluru.
The accused are Ponnaraj alias Ponna, 35, Druvakumar alias Druva, 29, Siddappa KV, 27 and Harish KN, 34.
Police seized 330kg of sandalwood worth over Rs 6.5 lakh and mini-goods vehicle from them. The accused told police they had stolen sandalwood from Huliyurudurga and were
DRI expresses concern over increased cigarette smuggling; warns smokers against cheap sticks
Officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have expressed concern over cigarette smuggling in a report, saying that high incidence of tax on the sin good is resulting in a tax arbitrage in favour of smuggling. It said the smuggled cigarettes are, on an average, 50 per cent cheaper in the Indian market as compared to the the similar domestic brands. From a public health perspective, the smuggling of cigarettes also poses a serious challenge since a part of the smuggled cigarettes are counterfeits and the quality of tobacco and other ingredients used in them, is inferior, it added.
During 2021-22, 11 crore sticks valued at Rs 93 crore were seized by DRI officers. While 47 per cent of this originated from Myanmar, 22 per cent came from the UAE and 31 per cent from others. The report said COVID-19 pandemic has forced the policymakers and the businesses worldwide to thoroughly revisit their prevalent policy/business models. The same holds good for smugglers and contraband traffickers as well.
Lear MoreDRI expresses concern over increased cigarette smuggling; warns smokers against cheap sticks
Officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have expressed concern over cigarette smuggling in a report, saying that high incidence of tax on the sin good is resulting in a tax arbitrage in favour of smuggling. It said the smuggled cigarettes are, on an average, 50 per cent cheaper in the Indian market as compared to the the similar domestic brands. From a public health perspective, the smuggling of cigarettes also poses a serious challenge since a part of the smuggled cigarettes are counterfeits and the quality of tobacco and other ingredients used in them, is inferior, it added.
During 2021-22, 11 crore sticks valued at Rs 93 crore were seized by DRI officers. While 47 per cent of this originated from Myanmar, 22 per cent came from the UAE and 31 per cent from others. The report said COVID-19 pandemic has forced the policymakers and the businesses worldwide to thoroughly revisit their prevalent policy/business models. The same holds good for smugglers and contraband traffickers as well.
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BSF seizes containers with mobile phones floating in river along India-B’desh border, worth Rs 38 lakh
Malda (West Bengal) [India], October 9 (ANI): The Border Security Force’s (BSF) 70 Battalion troops under South Bengal Frontier, deputed at Border Out Post Lodhia, seized 317 mobile phones floating in the Pagla River worth Rs 38 lakh on Saturday evening on the International Border (IB).
According to BSF, the seizure was based on the basis of accurate information received from BSF intelligence sources.
“On October 8 2022, at 1730 hrs, the troops of the Border Out Post Lodhia, 70 Battalion under South Bengal Frontier, seized 317 mobile phones while floating in the Pagla River,” the BSF said in a statement.
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