Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has busted a factory that was manufacturing counterfeit oil filters of leading brands Bosch, Tata and JCB.
A total of 1,917 duplicate filters, along with dyes, stickers, holograms and packaging material, were seized during the raid in the Anand Parbat Industrial Area. The factory owner, Manmeet Singh of Delhi, was arrested on the spot.
The raid was carried out on 4 December by a team of the Crime Branch. Police officials said the factory was fully equipped for large-scale production of duplicate filters. Officers found five dyes of Tata, four dyes of JCB, one dye printing machine and hundreds of JCB stickers, holograms and cardboard boxes. “This is a major action against counterfeit manufacturing that harms consumers and companies,” said DCP Crime-I Sanjeev Kumar Yadav. He said the team acted swiftly on a tip-off and recovered a large quantity of fake auto parts prepared for supply to the market. According to the police, the information about the illegal operation reached the police earlier in the day. The tip-off had warned that a factory was secretly producing duplicate auto parts of several well-known companies.
The parts were being passed off as original and supplied in the market through different vendors. A dedicated team of officers and representatives from Tata Motors, Bosch Ltd and JCB India also joined the operation to verify the authenticity of the seized products.
Once inside the factory, officers found stacks of duplicate filters packed and ready for dispatch. The printing machine and dyes indicated that the factory was producing the parts from scratch and branding them as original using fake marks. Packaging material of JCB was found in large quantities, along with holograms that closely resembled genuine company labels.
Police said the scale of the operation showed that the accused had been running the unit for several months. A case under the Copyright Act and Trademark Act was registered at the Crime Branch police station. Later, sections on cheating and forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita were also added.
During questioning, the accused Manmeet Singh admitted that he had been manufacturing and supplying fake auto parts for around a year. He told police that he procured raw material from different vendors. Once the parts were produced, he sent them back to the same vendors or sold them on demand in the market. Police said he claimed he started with local auto parts and then shifted to producing duplicate filters of well-known brands because they brought higher profits.
Officers said that the fake oil filters, once sold in the market, could cause serious damage to vehicles. They said counterfeit filters reduce engine life and risk mechanical failure. Police added that duplicate parts also cause major losses to automotive companies.
Investigators are now working to identify the full supply chain. Police suspect that more people may be involved in sourcing raw materials, distributing finished products, and selling them at shops. The Crime Branch is also checking whether the accused had partners in Delhi or other states.
Manmeet Singh, who is in his early thirties, grew up in Delhi. His father worked in a factory, and he studied up to the higher secondary level. Police said he had no previous criminal involvement. The seized stock has been handed over to the authorised representatives of the companies for further verification. The Crime Branch said more raids may follow as the investigation continues.
