Delhi: Counterfeit racket busted, one arrested

Delhi Police has claimed to have busted a counterfeit racket involved in the manufacturing and sale of fake imported Louis Vuitton products, an official on Sunday said.

One person has been arrested and further investigation is on into the matter, police said in a statement.

A police team raided a shop operating under the name Boys Street in Pitampura area here, they said.

Harshit (29), a resident of Shadi Nagar, was arrested during the raid and around 200 pieces of counterfeit items, including printed shorts, T-shirts, belts and perfumes bearing forged Louis Vuitton labels, were recovered, police said.

The raid was carried out following complaints of fake high-end fashion goods being sold in the market under the guise of genuine branded items, they said.

"Harshit, who was apprehended from the store, was found managing daily operations and admitted during interrogation that the illegal manufacturing unit was owned by Ome Pankaj Manchanda, a resident of Karnal in Haryana," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Northwest, Bhisham Singh, said in the statement.

"He disclosed that the unit was set up last year and was producing fake branded merchandise with forged tags and labels, which were later sold in the open market," Singh added.

The DCP said that the accused reportedly posed as an authorised distributor of reputed brands, misleading buyers and retailers.

Manchanda, who is currently abroad, will be arrested in due course as per legal procedures, police said.

The recovered items have been seized and further investigation is underway, they said.