Hyderabad: The Special Crime Team of CCS, Hyderabad City busted a duplicate tea powder racket and apprehended three persons for allegedly selling counterfeit tea powder, surf powder and Good Night refills in the city.
Acting on credible information on March 2, the team detained Jaya Ram (30), Kachhawa Surendera (34) and Hanuman Ram (21). Police said the accused were engaged in business and operated from different locations in Hyderabad while originally hailing from Rajasthan.
During the operation, officers seized large quantities of counterfeit products. The recovered stock included duplicate Red Label and Taj Mahal tea powder packets of various sizes.
Duplicate tea powder racket seized stock details
Police also recovered duplicate Tide, Ariel, Wheel and Surf Excel detergent powder sachets. In addition, the team seized 3,600 duplicate Good Night mosquito repellent refills of 45 ml capacity.
Officers found 9,500 duplicate label packing covers, including Red Label and Gemini Tea covers of 250g size. They also seized 75 kilograms of raw tea powder packed in five 15-kg bags.
According to police, the accused procured duplicate packing covers and low-quality materials from dealers in Gujarat at discounted rates. They allegedly supplied the counterfeit goods to retail and wholesale shops in Goshamahal, Afzalgunj, Begumbazar and other areas.
Investigators said the accused sold the items at significant discounts while falsely presenting them as genuine branded products. Inspector D. Bikshapathi led the operation under the supervision of ACP G. Venkateswar Reddy.
Subsequently, officers handed over the accused to Goshamahal and Afzalgunj police stations for further legal action. Police advised consumers to verify household products by scanning QR codes to ensure authenticity before purchase.