New Delhi
In a major crackdown on counterfeit trade, the Western Range-I of the Crime Branch, Delhi Police on Tuesday has busted an organised racket involved in the sale of fake branded garments and accessories. The operation led to a massive seizure of counterfeit goods from a luxury hotel in Vasant Kunj, where a temporary exhibition was being held under the guise of a discount sale.
According to officials, a huge quantity of counterfeit readymade garments, accessories, footwear, and luxury watches of reputed brands such as Peter England, Allen Solly, Mufti, Van Heusen, Jack & Jones, Calvin Klein, Zara, GANT, US Polo, and Aurelia were recovered. In addition, ladies’ purses of premium brands like Michael Kors and luxury watches of Michael Kors, Armani Exchange, and Omega were also seized. The police further recovered cash amounting to Rs 2,87,210, along with swipe machines, QR code payment devices, bill books, and other incriminating materials.
The operation was carried out by a dedicated team led by Inspector Ashish Sharma, along with SI Prakash, SI Guman Singh, ASI Sandeep Chawla, W-ASI Narendra Kaur, and other staff, under the supervision of ACP Raj Kumar.
The raid was conducted on May 3, after receiving a complaint from representatives of Brand Protectors India Pvt. Ltd., including Amanpreet Singh and Director Dhirender Singh. Acting swiftly, the Crime Branch team raided a prominent hotel in Vasant Kunj, where they discovered a well-organised exhibition falsely projecting itself as a legitimate discount sale.
Customers visiting the exhibition were shown garments and accessories branded as premium labels and were misled into believing they were purchasing genuine products at discounted prices. To enhance credibility, the accused issued proper-looking bills and accepted payments through modern methods such as swipe machines and UPI QR codes.
The complainants identified several items bearing the names of reputed brands, including Peter England, Allen Solly, and Mufti, and confirmed that the products were counterfeit and being sold as authentic goods.
During the raid, Iqbal, son of Rahman, aged 51 and a resident of Punhana in Haryana’s Nuh district, was found managing the exhibition and sales operations. He was immediately detained and later arrested.