HYDERABAD: Police busted a gang manufacturing ‘Parachute’, ‘Surf Axle’, ‘Wheel’ and other duplicate goods

Hyderabad: Task Force, Central Zone team, and Kachiguda Police arrested three accused, including one juvenile for illegally manufacturing duplicate, adulterated, and spurious branded products of ‘Parachute, ‘Surf Excel’, ‘Wheel’, ‘Lizol’, ‘Harpic’, ‘Red Label’, Brook Bond, and Masala powder.

According to credible information, the task force laid a trap near Kumar Theatre in the limits of Kachiguda Police Station in the city and apprehended one of the kingpins, Mahendra Singh, a resident of Nagaram and a native of Rajasthan State, said R. Giridhar,Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Zone, Hyderabad, in a release here on Saturday.

Mahendra Singh is illegally procuring and selling general store duplicate/adulterate/spurious coconut hair oil on the brand name of ‘Parachute’, duplicate detergent powders on the brand name of ‘Surf Excel’, ‘Wheel’ and other duplicate floor cleaning liquids on the brand name of ‘Lizol’, ‘Harpic’ and spurious/adulterate tea powders on the brand name of ‘Red Label’, Brook Bond’, and Spurious Masala powder on the brand name of ‘Everest’.

With the assistance of authorised representatives of Marico Limited, Hindustan Unilever Limited, and PNG Ltd, simultaneous raids were conducted at three places in the limits of Nagaram: Keesara Mandal (Rachkonda) and Katedhan Industrial Area in the limits of Mailardevpally Area (Cyberabad), wherein the accused, along with others, illegally established manufacturing and packing units, the release said.

Apprehended three accused—including Mithlesh Kumar (23) and juvenile Triyam (both native of Samastipur district, Bihar state)—and seized huge quantities of duplicate raw material, spurious or adulterate food material, and manufacturing and packing machinery worth about Rs 2 crore.

Three more accused in the case are absconding: Shyam Bhati, resident of Kachiguda, Hyderaba; Kamal Bhati, resident of Kachiguda (both native of Rajasthan state); and Jairam, resident of . Begum Bazar, Hyderabad.

The kingpins of the racket—Mahendra Singh, Shyam Bhati, Kamal Bhati, and Jairam—are purchasing duplicate branded food products, low-quality raw materials and brand labels, boxes, stickers, empty bottles, packing boxes from Gujarat, Bangalore, and Delhi and indulged in the preparation and adulteration of food items, edible oil, tea powder, soaps, and regular general store items.

The duplicate items were stored at the outskirts of the warehouse in Nagaram, Katedan, and the same are selling away in supermarkets, kiran stores, and merchants through distributors and agents on a commission basis. Organisers have been engaging non-local labour in Bihar State for preparing, manufacturing, and packing duplicate material and reputed brand stickers pasted on the material.

The accused persons are selling the products as genuine products at a low price on the MRPS and cheating customers by violating the CopyRight Act. spurious or toxic material, which may cause life-threatening effects even in small amounts and with short exposure. May cause serious and prolonged health effects from short- or long-term exposure to humans.

In this case, organisers Shyam Bhati, Kamal Bhati, and Jairam are absconding.

On Friday, a case was registered against the accused persons under U/S. 272, 273, 420 IPC, and Sec. 63, 65 of the Copyright Act of Kachiguda Police Station.