Seven arrested for selling fake products in the name of Mumbai-based cosmetic firm

The city police crime branch have arrested seven people for allegedly selling falsely branded cosmetics products of a renowned Mumbai-based Indian consumer goods company.

The police were acting on the orders of the Bombay high court, which observed that prima facie an offence could be made out from the facts placed before it.

Police said that one Habibul Khan, a brand protection consultant at the company found out that the accused, Abdul Wahab Syed and Devaji Rabari, were selling the company’s duplicate cosmetic products in wholesale.

Subsequently, in November 2017, Khan hired a private investigator, Shashank Tagarsi, to investigate the matter and verify the information.

Following an inquiry, Tagarsi submitted a report which stated that the samples collected during the probe were checked in laboratories and were confirmed to be fakes.

In February this year, a civil suit was filed by the legal representative of Khan’s company with HC on the basis of Tagarsi’s report.

In the first week of March, seven places were raided by court receivers. Of these, five places were found to be selling these products, said a police source. The court receiver then served notices to the sellers and sealed the goods.

The high court noted that from the evidence presented by the complainant, “an offence can be made out” and directed the city police to lodge a fresh complaint against the accused.

A first information report (FIR) had been registered at the Sewri police station and the matter was then transferred to the property cell of the Mumbai crime branch.

Crime branch officials then arrested Abdul Wahab Syed, Rajesh Desai, Ramdas Rahate, Nitin Pore, Kishore Tamanekar, Raghu Patel and Abdulla Ansari on Sunday early morning. Rabari is absconding.

“They misused the complainant company’s logo, packed duplicate cosmetic products bearing the company’s name, and sold the product as original in the market. This caused a loss to the complainant company and customers were cheated,” said a police official who did not wish to be named.

All the accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Copyright Act and Trademark Act for cheating, forgery and violations of various laws pertaining to the illegal use of official company logos.