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Mobiles, watches, electronics and what not; counterfeit products rule Mumbai markets, police plan crackdown

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Mumbai: Counterfeit products and fake versions of branded goods are not new to India’s financial capital. However, according to Mumbai police, the illegal business, especially electronic goods, is thriving in many locations in the city. Mumbai police are planning to launch an intensive crackdown on such business units.
If the sale was earlier limited to specific locations like Heera Panna shopping center in Tardeo, now the fake products rule markets in many other places. Many sellers venture into it because of high profitability and there is a huge demand for ‘branded’ products at cheaper rates, market experts say.

Acting on a tip-off from the Enforcers of Intellectual Property Rights (EIPR), Mumbai police recently raided Gaurav Enterprises at Modi Street and Sainath Trading at Agyari Lane in the Fort area and seized various counterfeits of Canon, HP (Hewlett-Packard), Samsung, Epson many other products. Two people were also arrested.

In September, in a joint effort with the Crime Branch and Economic Offense Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police, the Japanese two-wheeler maker Honda traced a large supply chain of fake parts at Chembur and Grant Road. The police seized over 1500 fake spare parts.

In another incident, the MRA Marg police recently busted a major racket of shops in Manish Market and Al Saba Market in south Mumbai that were allegedly selling fake watches of top international brands and seized such timepieces valued at Rs 1.06 crore. Fake models of Armani, Diesel, Fossil, G-Shock and Michael Kors among others were seized.

According to police officials, an effective raid is rarely possible as the sellers often appear to have advanced knowledge of raids. If the cops nab one group, many other groups from the same link would come out, the officers said.

Apart from fake goods, the illegal business network also sells defective products of original brands as well as stolen items. Some analysts note that the business of counterfeit products boomed during the pandemic period.

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