Crime Branch apprehends 4 in major counterfeit products case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has dismantled a large-scale racket allegedly involved in manufacturing and selling counterfeit branded household and food products across Delhi-NCR, arresting four key suspects and seizing massive consignments of fake items.

An anonymous tip-off led the Crime Branch to investigate the operation. During raids on December 29 at Uttam Nagar, Nilothi Extension, and the Kanjhawala industrial area, police recovered counterfeit goods marketed as leading brands, including Amul, Patanjali, Madhusudan ghee, Eno, All Out, Veet, and Tata Salt. The arrested accused are Nitin Kumar (38), Rajat Singhal alias Chintu (38), Surender Gujjar (45), and Mujahid alias Kartik (38). Vehicles intercepted at G-Block, Dal Mill Road, Uttam Nagar, yielded over 1,100 litres of ghee, 8,640 Eno sachets, 1,200 All Out bottles, 1,152 Veet packs, and 3,000 kg of Tata Salt. A further search uncovered an additional 2,000 kg of fake Tata Salt and machinery reportedly used for repacking and sealing counterfeit products. Company representatives confirmed the goods were counterfeit.

During interrogation, Nitin Kumar allegedly revealed the operation of an illegal ghee manufacturing unit in Kanjhawala, where packaging machines, fake labels, and raw materials were seized. Police stated that the accused procured empty tins, wrappers, and forged packaging before distributing the products to local markets and wholesale buyers at cheaper rates.

Authorities said the racket posed serious public health risks while causing financial losses to genuine brands. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions related to the sale of adulterated and harmful products, as well as the Copyright Act. Investigators are now tracing the wider supply chain and other factories suspected to be linked to the network. Nitin Kumar has prior involvement in similar cases.