NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested five shopkeepers after busting a factory involved in manufacturing counterfeit Apple iPhone spare parts, seizing fake components worth around Rs 1.60 crore.
Police said the action followed a tip-off received by the Crime Branch regarding the illegal unit. Acting on the information, a team from the Northern Range-I conducted raids as part of an ongoing drive against economic offences and the sale of counterfeit goods.
According to officials, the accused were allegedly cheating customers by selling fake iPhone spare parts and accessories while passing them off as genuine products of Apple Inc..
On March 6, a Crime Branch team patrolling the Rohini area received specific inputs that shops in Vikas Surya Shopping Mall and Mangalam Place at M2K in Sector 3 were selling counterfeit Apple products.
Acting on the information, the team formed a raiding party and called Tauqeer Chaudhary, the authorised representative of Apple Inc., to assist in the operation. Simultaneous raids were conducted at five shops — Dinesh Spare Part, Singhal’s Mobile Accessories, Pardhan Ji Communication, Satguru Accessories and Kansal Accessories Nxt.
Police seized around 1,000 iPhone back panels, 180 back bodies, 228 batteries, 48 camera and charging flex units, 738 back covers, 14 adapters and 109 USB-C cables. The accused have been booked under the Copyright Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.