Mumbai Police Arrest Trader and Factory Owner for Selling Counterfeit Cosmetics Worth Over Rs 1.4 Crore

Mumbai, 10th June 2023: In a major breakthrough, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a trader involved in the sale of fake cosmetics along with the owner of a factory. The accused were taken into custody after a joint operation by the EOW and the Crime Branch Control Room.

During the operation, a staggering amount of counterfeit cosmetics, valued at Rs 1 crore 40 lakh, was confiscated from the perpetrators. The fake products were being manufactured in factories located in Palghar and Vasai, and subsequently sold in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, as well as in states like Gujarat and New Delhi.

Acting on valuable information received by the Crime Branch Control Room, Police Inspector Nitin Patil, in charge of the unit, along with his team, set up a trap in the Retibandar area of Mahim. They successfully intercepted a vehicle suspected of transporting the illicit goods and conducted a thorough search. In this operation, they seized counterfeit cosmetics with an estimated value of Rs 18 lakh from the vehicle. In this case, the Mahim Police Station promptly registered a case under the Property Rights Act and initiated a comprehensive investigation.

Further investigations revealed that the apprehended trader was producing the counterfeit cosmetics in his warehouse-less-factory located in Palghar, while another factory owned by the accused in Vasai was also involved in the illegal operations. Confessions from the suspects confirmed that these fake products were being distributed in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, as well as in Gujarat, New Delhi, and other regions.

In response, three separate teams were formed, and targeted raids were conducted on warehouses and two factories in Nalasopara. The authorities successfully seized counterfeit products of various renowned companies, along with the machinery and raw materials used in their production. Consequently, the owner of the factory was also taken into custody by the crime branch.

Both the trader and the factory owner have been remanded in police custody until June 12 to facilitate further investigation into the matter. The seized items, which include empty covers, stickers, packing materials, empty cosmetic powder, and the machinery used for manufacturing the fake cosmetics, amount to a total worth of Rs 1 crore, 41 lakh, 74 thousand, and 815.