Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a gold smuggling racket and arrested 18 Sudanese women as well as an Indian woman with 16.36 kg of the yellow metal in paste form valued at ₹ 10.16 crore at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here, an official said on Tuesday.
In a follow up search at related premises 1.42 kg of gold valued approximately at ₹ 85 lakh along with foreign currency worth ₹ 16 lakh and Indian notes of ₹ 88 lakh were also recovered, he said.
Based on specific intelligence that gold in paste form is going to be smuggled into India by a syndicate of passengers travelling from the UAE to Mumbai on Monday, DRI officials mounted a surveillance at the city airport, the official said.
Passengers suspected to be part of the syndicate travelling in three flights were identified and intercepted by a team of the DRI at the airport, he said.
During their search, the DRI recovered 16.36 kg of gold in paste form, gold cut pieces and jewellery, collectively valued at ₹ 10.16 crore, said the official.
Gold Worth ₹ 10 Crore Seized At Mumbai Airport, 18 Sudanese Women Arrested
Mumbai: DRI arrests father-son duo from Zaveri Bazar in gold smuggling case
The entire operation of DRI is based on the information obtained from the investigations related to a May 2022 case in which DRI seized 5kg of smuggled gold from the Air Cargo Complex, Mumbai.
The officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, have recently arrested two jewellers, a father-son duo, from Zaveri Bazar in connection with a gold smuggling racket. This is a follow-up action by DRI which had already made an arrest in the case in January this year and seized 36kg of unaccounted gold worth Rs 21 crore.
Sources said DRI Mumbai officials raided the office of Dharmraj Bhosale, 52, and Suraj Bhosale, 23, in Zaveri Bazar Thursday and arrested the two after their role was established in the gold smuggling racket.
In January this year, the central agency busted a gold smuggling syndicate that also involved foreign nationals and raided a workshop in Kalbadevi where the melting and processing of smuggled gold was taking place. DRI had then seized 36kg of unaccounted gold worth Rs 21 crore.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-gold-smuggling-case-arrest-customs-8570401/
Pune: Ravet police bust illegal LPG gas racket, goods worth Rs 6,08,656 seized
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.
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/