Fake cosmetics manufacturing unit busted in Faridabad, two arrested

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 10

A team of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Department has busted a factory manufacturing and supplying counterfeit cosmetic products of some well-known brands here. Two persons have been arrested in this connection.

An FDA official said finished goods and raw material worth Rs50 lakh was recovered from the unit. He said the racket surfaced after a raid was carried out by the FDA team last night at house NMo. 634, Sector 62, here on the basis of tip-off and inputs.

The unit located on the house premises was illegally manufacturing cosmetic items under the brand name of Lakme and Fitme of Hindustan Uniliver (HUL).

Karan Godara, Senior Drug Control Officer (SDCO), who led the team, said the department had been following illegal activities in the area for the past few months.

A raid finally met with success with the arrest of the two main accused manufacturing spurious cosmetics, he said. A huge cache of fake products manufactured during the past six months was recovered from the unit, he said.

The accused, who had been arrested were identified as Amit Mittal, unit owner-cum-partner, and Naveen Kumar, manager, he added.

They failed to produce the manufacturing or marketing licence in presence of team of police officials and a representative of the HUL, he said.

The fake products were being supplied to a shop run by the kin of one of the accused in Sadar Bazaar, New Delhi. The team lifted samples of finished products and raw material found on the spot sent it for testing.

Besides, large quantity of packing material, including empty bottles, cartons, tubes and boxes, having labels of the HUL brand were also seized. The price of the recovered products was Rs 50 lakh, which include Rs20 lakh finished products and raw material worth Rs30 lakh, said officials.

While samples were sent for testing, the custody of the recovered goods would be taken from the court, officials claimed. A case under various sections of the Drug and Cosmetics Act and violation of the trademark has been registered against accused.

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