Hyderabad police bust Rs 3 Cr fake Apple accessories racket; 3 arrested

Hyderabad: The Commissioner’s Task Force, Central Zone, Hyderabad, in coordination with Apple Inc.’s authorized representatives, busted a fake Apple accessories racket operating in the city.

The police seized counterfeit products worth Rs 3 crore and arrested three persons for their involvement in procuring and selling duplicate Apple-branded mobile accessories.

Acting on a credible tip-off, the Task Force team raided a premises near Hari Masjid in the Miralam Mandi area under the jurisdiction of Mirchowk Police Station. The raid was conducted in the presence of representatives from Apple Inc.

During the operation, officials apprehended three individuals who were found to be stocking and selling duplicate accessories using fake packaging, Apple logos, MRP labels, and security seals.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohd Shahid Ali (48), a resident of Miralam Mandi and native of Uttar Pradesh; Irfan Ali (49), residing in Masjid Lane, LB Nagar, also from Uttar Pradesh; and Santosh Rajpurohit (39), the proprietor of PM Mobiles located in Gujarati Galli, Koti.

According to the police, Shahid Ali procured counterfeit Apple accessories from agents based in Mumbai and stored them at his residence. Irfan Ali purchased these fake products from Shahid and sold them to retailers. Santosh Rajpurohit was selling the same through his mobile retail outlet in Koti.

The raid led to the seizure of a total of 2,761 counterfeit Apple products, which include Apple AirPods (1,145), Apple Watches (28), USB Cables (52), USB Adaptors (14), MagSafe Power Banks (4), Apple Watch Outer Covers (260), SKU Stickers (480), MRP Stickers (428) and Security Seals (350).

The total value of the seized materials is estimated at Rs 3 crore.

Police said the fake products were made to resemble genuine Apple accessories, with near-identical outer packaging and labeling. The accused were repackaging the duplicate items using counterfeit branding material, thereby deceiving unsuspecting customers and causing brand damage to Apple Inc.

By selling these products as originals, the accused were not only committing fraud but also earning illegal profits at the cost of consumer trust and company reputation.

Following the seizure, the accused individuals along with the confiscated items were handed over to the Mirchowk Police Station for further legal proceedings under relevant sections of the law related to copyright infringement and cheating.

The successful operation was carried out by the Central Zone Task Force team under the supervision of Y.V.S. Sudheendra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commissioner’s Task Force, Hyderabad.

The team included inspectors, sub-inspectors, and other personnel who coordinated with Apple Inc.’s representatives to bring the offenders to justice.