Three held for manufacturing, selling fake soaps online

Three held for manufacturing, selling fake soaps online

Three individuals from Delhi were arrested by the cybercrimes wing of the Hyderabad police for selling fake skincare and haircare products under a registered brand name.

The accused were identified as Nikhil, 26, Mohit Sharma, 25 and Sonu Kumar, 26, all residents of Delhi.

The probe was initiated following a complaint lodged by a Hyderabad-based doctor, who is associated with a company that manufactures and sells skincare and haircare products.

According to the complaint, the company discovered that one of its flagship soap products was being unlawfully white-labelled and sold online by unauthorised third-party sellers. The company identified 19 fake listings across various e-commerce platforms, where the counterfeit products were marketed under misleading names. This misrepresentation not only led to confusion among customers but also resulted in reputational damage and financial losses for the legitimate brand.

Investigations revealed that the accused formed a group to exploit the product’s popularity and manufactured fake soaps closely resembling the original products in colour, design and packaging.

The operations were carried out with the assistance of two other suspects identified as Dinesh Negi and Pankaj, who are currently absconding. The fake products were then listed on online marketplaces and sold to unsuspecting customers.

During the operation, police seized 80 counterfeit soap bars, and 20 other soaps. Efforts are underway to trace the remaining accused.