Doha: Qatar has launched a series of raids as part of a campaign to crackdown on counterfeit products, local media have reported.
Shop inspections to check whether they are selling fake or counterfeit products have now been intensified by the Ministry of Business and Trade.
"We conduct such inspections on a daily or weekly basis or in response to complaints from the public," an inspector said, quoted by Qatari daily The Peninsula.
During a raid in which a journalist from local daily Al Sherouq was present, 20 shops were inspected, but only one was found to be selling some counterfeit perfumes and men's accessories. Another shop was booked for failing to display the commercial licence.
According to inspectors, some shops have secret rooms where salesmen keep the counterfeit products that are offered only to special customers. However, ministry officials say that most inspectors are shrewd enough to find out about the hideouts
Whenever a fake or counterfeit product is found in a shop, the inspector asks for the bill in order to identify the source of the product, officials said.
Normally the inspectors can identify a fake product through a quick check, However, when a large quantity of suspected products are found, they are sent for a detailed examination, the daily said.
