Mumbai Crime: Fake beauty products sold in used containers seized

FDA officials check the seized products after the raid

Crush your used shampoo bottles and moisturiser tubes before discarding them, or else they might simply land on your favourite online shopping site filled with contaminated products, to be sold back to you.

Acting on a tip off, a team of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided three storehouses at Andheri, Sakinaka and Ville Parle on May 4, and seized fake cosmetic products worth R8 lakh, filled in used containers of L'Oréal. What is more shocking is that the packaged products were also being sold to Flipkart. Sources in the FDA said that following a thorough investigation into the case, they would send a notice to the online portal.

According to the investigation, the scam has been active for years. Rag pickers used to collect the used containers and hand them over to the people involved in making the fake products.

Speaking to mid-day, Arjun Khadtare, joint commissioner, FDA (drug), said, "We received a tip off that they were selling fake products at the original price to local salons. The products that have been seized are contaminated. Later, we also came to know that the items were being sold to Flipkart."

Sources in the FDA said that they had bills of the products sold to the online portal. "We haven't yet sent a notice to the website, as we want to complete the current investigation first. We have enough evidence that were being sold to Flipkart," added Khadtare. The samples of the products have been sent to the laboratory for analysis.

When contacted, a Flipkart spokesperson responded through an email stating that the website was just an intermediary that offers a platform to connect buyers and sellers. It further stated, "Flipkart complies with the intermediary guidelines. We also have an infringement verification mechanism in place that allows brand owners to notify us about any suspicious product. We also share a good professional relationship with several brands to address issues of this nature."

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