Police in Mumbai have busted a gang that was manufacturing duplicates of premium watch brands to sell as originals, according to a report by news magazine India Today.
The gang was reportedly working out of a tiny workshop at Masjid Bunder in Mumbai.
Unit 3 of Mumbai crime branch busted the operations on the basis of a tip-off.
Once the tip was confirmed through sources that watches of Swatch brand were being duplicated to be sold across the city and the country, the crime branch contacted officials at Swatch Group (India) Private Ltd, reported India Today.
Once the Swatch group officials confirmed that the company had no connection to those manufacturing the duplicates, the police planned a raid.
It was discovered that pieces from leading international brands like Calvin Klein, Swatch, Movado Swiss and Indian brands like Fastrack were also being duplicated, reported India Today.
The police raided the workshop located at Qazi Sayyed street at Masjid Bunder on Tuesday, September 17 and around 4180 duplicate watches were seized along with raw material, machinery and spares.
"The accused mastermind running the workshop has been identified as Afzal Ansari and has been booked under sections 420, 34 of IPC for cheating and sections 52, 63 and 65 of the Copyright Act," senior police inspector Ashok Khot from Unit 3 of Mumbai crime branch was quoted as saying by India Today.
The accused were selling counterfeit of international watch brands for Rs 8,000 (Dh412) to 50,000 (Dh 2,576) per piece, while Indian brand fakes were being sold at a cheaper rate.
The items seized in the bust were worth over Rs 2,000,000 (Dh103,023).
