New Delhi, Dec 18 In a major crackdown on counterfeit goods, the Inter-State Cell of the Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted a large-scale fake Castrol lubricant oil manufacturing unit operating in the Nangloi area of west Delhi, seizing stock worth Rs one crore.
The operation led to the seizure of nearly 3,950 litres of raw and counterfeit lubricant oil, around 12,000 empty Castrol bottles and buckets, along with machinery and packaging material worth over Rs one crore.
The accused, identified as Sandeep (36), a resident of Nangloi, was arrested from the spot while allegedly supervising the illegal manufacturing process.
Police said the racket was misusing the brand identity of Castrol lubricant oil, thereby violating trademark and copyright laws and deceiving consumers across multiple states.
According to the Crime Branch, the operation was launched following specific and credible information received from the authorised representative of M/s Castrol Ltd., who flagged illegal manufacturing and distribution of fake Castrol products.
Acting on the inputs, a special team conducted a raid at Kamruddin Nagar in Nangloi and detected a fully operational counterfeit lubricant unit.
During the raid, the unit was found engaged in filtering, colouring, filling, labelling and sealing counterfeit lubricant oil to closely resemble genuine Castrol products.
The seized items included around 3,600 litres of raw lubricant oil, 370 litres of fake Castrol oil, over 11,300 empty bottles of different sizes, 464 empty Castrol buckets, fake labels, sealing machines, packing material and colouring chemicals.
Police said the counterfeit products were identified and verified by the company’s authorised representative and seized following due legal procedure. A secondary location in the same vicinity was also searched, leading to the recovery of additional empty drums and bottles.
Investigations revealed that the accused procured low-cost lubricant oil locally and rebranded it using fake labels, packaging and colouring agents to pass it off as genuine Castrol oil. The counterfeit products were supplied to buyers in other states, mostly through cash transactions, indicating an inter-state distribution network.
A case has been registered under Sections 63 and 68 of the Copyright Act and Sections 349 and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“Further investigation is underway to identify associates, transporters, financial handlers, and the full extent of the counterfeit network. Further investigation is being carried out,” said DCP Aditya Gautam.
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