The crime branch of the Mumbai Police have arrested five people for allegedly selling counterfeit cosmetic products of branded companies. The accused who runs cosmetic shops in a mall in Malad was allegedly selling the duplicated products by luring in customers with discount offers, said police. Products worth Rs 24 lakh have been seized during the raid.
According to police officials, they had received information that a couple of shops in a shopping mall in Malad indulged in the sale of fake cosmetic products of a leading brand. The shopkeepers had offered huge discounts on these products.
Acting on the information, a team from Crime Branch unit 8 along with the company officials conducted a raid on Thursday at the Crystal Plaza in Malad. During the raid it was revealed that the accused were selling duplicated products. "The packaging of the duplicate products was similar to the genuine products. As a result, it was difficult to differentiate between original and duplicate," said police.
Following the raid police arrested the five shop keepers identified as Bhavesh Karia (41), Tushar Shigvan (40), Ishwar Aahir (31), Hardip Chimanlal Rajdev (56) and Dinesh Gehlot (27). They were booked for cheating and forgery, and under the Copyright act and Trademark act.
During the investigation the accused claimed that the products had been manufactured in China and brought to Indian illegally. They were produced before the court on Thursday which remanded them to police custody till February 10, said police.
