A 24-year-old man, who learnt how to print fake notes by watching YouTube videos, was arrested by the Bengaluru city police Wednesday. The police said the youth used to provide counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 4 lakh in lieu of Rs 1 lakh genuine notes. The arrested was identified as Pullalarevu Raju, a native of Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh. He was arrested along with his associates Mannela Gopinath (26), Charan Singh (47) and his younger sister R Rajani (38). All the accused hail from various parts of Andhra Pradesh. A police officer said, “Raju, who wanted to make quick money, started watching YouTube on how to prepare fake currency notes. Two months ago, he bought the necessary materials and started printing fake notes.”
Almost 25-30% products sold in India spurious with counterfeiting: Report
NEW DELHI : Almost 25-30% 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 joint report by Crisil and the Authentication Solution Providers Association (ASPA) said. “Counterfeiting is most prevalent in apparel (31%), FMCG (28%), and Automotives (25%) are the top segments where consumers came across a counterfeit product, followed by Pharmaceuticals (20%), Consumer Durables (17%), and Agrochemicals (16%),” the report said.
Many car dealers in India are selling fake JBL music systems, here’s how you can identify them
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.
Capacity Building Programme for Chhattisgarh Police Officers
11th January 2023| Chhattisgarh
FICCI CASCADE organised a Capacity Building Programme for the Police Officers of Chhattisgarh on 11th January 2023 in Raipur. The training programme aimed at highlighting the paramount role of police officials in liberating the nations from the clutches of illicit trade.
While addressing the ‘Capacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling’ Mr Ratan Lal Dangi IPS, Director, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose State Police Academy stated that the problem of smuggling and counterfeiting is not only confined to India but is impacting the world. Police, being the primary enforcement body is playing an important role in enforcing laws and is continuously working for the nation building to foster economic growth. Mr. Dangi mentioned that counterfeiters and smugglers are not only hurting the economy of our country but are posing severe threat to the health and safety of citizens. Awareness among the enforcement agencies on the growing need to save the consumers from the hazard of counterfeiting & smuggling is essential, he added.
Mr Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi gave an overview on socio-economic impact of counterfeiting and smuggling. He stated that the grey market is fueling illegitimate industry, leading to an increased criminalization in society. This capacity building program is aimed to sensitize the Chhattisgarh police officers on the importance of continued awareness and seriousness of the impact of counterfeit and smuggled products, he emphasized.
Col Atul Yadav, General Manager- North, Industry Affairs, ITC Ltd. opined that illegal activities such as counterfeiting and smuggling are flooding the market with substandard fake and smuggled products which are produced without following quality norms at unhygienic places, and are sold illegally, thus contributing towards increase in unaccounted money. A major driver for the rampant increase of smuggling is high taxes which create a significant arbitrage to fuel such activities. The extent of smuggling in the country is a cause of great concern. However, to effectively tackle the growing menace of smuggling in India, a lot more needs to be done to make the compliance and processes more robust and detection of such crime easier, he added.
Ms Aashita Agarwal, Policy Manger, Public Policy, Amazon India accentuated that Amazon is focused in mitigating fraud and abuse on marketplaces that hamper customer trust. Amazon has introduced several initiatives and have put in resources to make its marketplace a reliable and safe platform for customers, brands, and sellers to conduct transactions. She added that we are committed to promoting and participating in the efforts for ensuring that the consumers are empowered to enjoy the benefits of online shopping while being protected from the risks the digital era may present. The programme witnessed an enthusiastic participation of 120 police officers across the state.
Capacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling Download Pdf
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