Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has busted an alleged counterfeit FMCG manufacturing network operating from warehouses in Ghonda and a factory in Nangloi, arresting two men and seizing nearly six lakh fake Eno pouches along with counterfeit Fevikwik products, raw materials and packaging equipment.
The raids were conducted on October 17 and 18 after the Crime Branch received intelligence about the illegal manufacture and distribution of fake FMCG products in Delhi-NCR. The operation was carried out in the presence of representatives from brand-protection agency Nucleon Risk Consulting, including its manager Yashpal Sapra, according to the report.
The arrested men have been identified as Naveen Singhal of Jai Prakash Nagar in Ghonda and Balraj Bansal of West Ghonda. Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said Singhal allegedly supplied counterfeit products across India and operated an office in Tilak Bazar, Khari Baoli. Police said he had previously been involved in two similar cases.
Bansal allegedly manufactured and packed the counterfeit products before supplying them to Singhal. He, too, had previously been involved in a similar case, police said. The Crime Branch assigned the investigation to a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivekanand Pathak and Inspector Robin Tyagi after receiving information about the alleged network.
At the Nangloi premises, investigators found an electric form-fill-seal machine operating and being used to pack counterfeit powder. Police seized 1,97,856 packed fake Eno pouches stored in 229 cartons, as well as approximately four lakh unpacked pouches weighing more than 310 kilograms. They also recovered 200 kilograms of citric acid, which police estimated could have been used to prepare more than 40,000 additional pouches.
The seizure included more than three lakh Eno stickers, 100 kilograms of Eno packaging rolls and a large quantity of boxes and other packaging material. Boxes and materials bearing the names of other established brands, including MDH, were also found at the premises, according to the report.
Police additionally recovered 1,12,560 filled counterfeit Fevikwik pouches and packaging material sufficient to prepare more than two lakh additional pouches. An operating electric form-fill-seal machine, heat-sealing guns and other equipment used in the alleged production process were seized.
The case highlights the role of small warehouses and manufacturing units in counterfeit supply chains operating within dense urban markets. In this instance, the alleged production and storage locations were spread across north-east Delhi and west Delhi, while the reported distribution network extended beyond the capital. The use of packaging machinery and large quantities of branded material indicates an organised operation rather than isolated retail-level counterfeiting.
Police said the alleged network was causing financial losses to genuine companies and putting consumers at risk through the use of substandard materials. The two accused have been taken on remand for questioning. Investigators are examining the supply chain, identifying the principal sources of raw materials and tracing other people allegedly involved in the network.
