New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Monday busted a factory-cum-godown involved in the manufacturing, storage, and sale of fake and counterfeit RO filters of leading brands, including Kent, Aquaguard, and Havells. During the operation, police recovered and seized a total of 2,932 counterfeit RO filters along with packaging material, filter caps, and machinery used for branding and packaging.

The owner of the factory has been arrested from the spot.

According to the Crime Branch, the Anti Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC) had been monitoring a syndicate allegedly involved in the manufacture and sale of counterfeit RO filters of reputed companies operating across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

On May 27, the Crime Branch received specific Intelligence that a large quantity of fake RO filters of renowned brands were being stored at and sold from a factory and godown located in HR Block, Gali No. 4, Pul Prahladpur, Delhi.

Acting on the information, a dedicated team comprising SI Sandeep Sandhu, ASI Prempal Singh, and Head Constables Anuj Sirohi, Abhinav, Naveen, Amit, and Indrajeet was constituted under the guidance of Inspector Mangesh Tyagi and the supervision of ACP ARSC Sanjay Kumar Nagpal.

The team conducted a raid at a godown located at 226/4, HR Block, Gali No. 4, Pul Prahladpur. During the operation, the owner of the premises, identified as Mohd. Tabrej, son of Mohd. Umar and a resident of Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, was found present at the location.

A thorough search of the premises led to the recovery of a large number of counterfeit RO filters, membranes, and packaging material bearing the names of Kent, Aquaguard, and Havells. Authorised representatives of Kent RO, Havells India, and Aquaguard examined the products and confirmed that the recovered filters were counterfeit.

Following the confirmation, Mohd. Tabrej was arrested on the spot. In total, 2,932 fake RO filters were seized from the premises.

A case has been registered under FIR No. 140/26 dated May 28, 2026, under Sections 318(4), 336(3), and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 63 and 65 of the Copyright Act and Sections 103 and 104 of the Trademark Act at Police Station Crime Branch. Further investigation is underway.

The recovered items include 1,928 Kent RO filters, 738 Aquaguard filters, and 266 Havells filters. Police also seized 1,372 Kent filter caps, 7,300 pieces of Kent packaging material, and two machines allegedly used for packaging and branding the counterfeit products.

During interrogation, police found that Mohd. Tabrej originally hails from Bihar and moved to Delhi in 2011. A Class 10 pass from Nalanda district, he initially worked in the battery service sector before learning RO servicing. Around eight to nine months ago, he allegedly established the factory and godown in a rented premises. Police records indicate that he has no previous criminal involvement.

Investigators are now probing the larger network involved in the manufacturing, storage, distribution, and sale of counterfeit RO filters. Efforts are underway to identify other members of the syndicate and trace the supply chain behind the illegal operation.

The investigation remains in progress.

–IANS

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