In the Maladhakka district of Bilaspur, a sizable raid conducted on fake products has revealed an increasingly large network of counterfeit consumer products. Based on the orders of the Bombay High Court, an Additional Special Receiver, and the police officials, carried out raids on warehouses associated with Mahadev General Stores.
In the operation a huge amount of fake goods in the name of Hindustan Unilever was detected. These were counterfeit tea packets that were being sold as Red Label Tea and detergents powder that were being sold as Surf Excel. The investigators discovered that the items were packed in wrappers that looked like the ones of reputed brands and misled consumers to think that they were authentic.
Authorities found more than 5,000 packets of Surf Excel (80 grams apiece), and 80 one-kilogram packets of Red Label tea. The confiscated goods were delivered to the representatives of the company, and the rest of the stock was sealed as evidence according to the court order.
This has been done after a petition was introduced by Hindustan Unilever requesting the stringent action against the distribution of fake products under its brand name. The case will be heard again on May 8.
According to the sources, Trade Vihar, which is one of the biggest wholesale centers in the area, is now a haven of distribution of counterfeit products. It is suspected that these counterfeit products are being sold in large quantities to traders and subsequently to unsuspecting people as real products, posing serious questions about consumer safety and regulation.