Crime Branch in Domaluru seized fake products which included toilet cleaning agents
Crime Branch in Domaluru seized fake products which included toilet cleaning agents
In a raid yesterday, the Bangalore City Crime Branch raided a storehouse in Domaluru and recovered spurious cleaning products of 50 brands worth Rs 22 lakh.
Of the counterfeited brands were Harpic, Collins and Reynolds products like soaps, toilet cleaners, pens, and glass cleaners.
Crime Branch officials also arrested 28-year-old Mahadev Patel, the manufacturer of the fake products. Another accused in the case, Varsharam Patel (35), however, managed to escape.
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The accused wouldu00a0 buy raw materials from the open market and manufacture the cleaning agents that were then packed so they were indistinguishable from originals," said a Crime Branch official involved in the raid.
The accused then supplied the products to shops at prices substantially lower than what one would pay for the real stuff.
"What is worrisome is that the ingredients used in the manufacture were toxic and of a very poor quality.
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Extended use of these products would expose users to the toxic chemicals," said a member of the Crime Branch.
Companies that ownu00a0 the Harpic and Collins brands had witnessed heavy dips in sales revenue in the recent past. When they stumbled upon fakes doing the rounds, they immediately brought it to the notice of the police.
Crime Branch officers subsequently discovered that many shops in Bangalore were involved in selling such duplicate products.
In a confessional statement Mahadev said, "We thought no one would question us because customers who buy such products do not read all the details on the packages to confirm what they are buying. We decided to take advantage of this oversight."
ACP H S Duggappa of the CCB, said, "The companies that manufacture these products have incurred heavy losses and the people who use them expose themselves to serious harm.
We have registered cases against the Patelsu00a0 under the Copyright Act. We also seized all the duplicate products the accused had in stock."
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