Fake lubricant oil manufacturing unit busted in Delhi, 1 held

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Police have busted a major counterfeit lubricant oil manufacturing unit in northeast Delhi and arrested a 41-year-old man, seizing a huge consignment of fake branded engine oil, machinery and packaging material, an official said on Saturday.

The arrested accused has been identified as Manish Gupta, a resident of Shahdara.

The raid was conducted on December 18 at a godown in Kabir Nagar, where the accused was manufacturing and supplying counterfeit lubricant oil under the labels of reputed brands such as Castrol, TVS and Hero, posing a serious risk to vehicle engines and consumers, police said.

Gupta was running the unit without any licence or authorisation, police said.

Acting on specific intelligence, police carried out the operation after verifying inputs that local raw lubricant oil was being filled into empty branded containers and sold as genuine products.

The authorised representative of Castrol Ltd. joined the raid and confirmed that the seized products were counterfeit, police said.

During the raid, three labourers were found filtering raw oil, mixing colouring agents, filling bottles, pasting fake labels and sealing containers. Gupta, who arrived at the spot during the operation, admitted to running the unit, a senior police officer said.

Police registered a case on December 19 under relevant sections of the Copyright Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, later adding provisions related to cheating.

Gupta was arrested and interrogated, he said.

During questioning, the accused disclosed that he had been manufacturing fake engine oil since 2019 under the name 'KBS Lubricant India'.

He claimed to produce around 150 litres per day by blending base oil and additives sourced locally, which were then packed into reused or expired containers bearing fake logos, labels, batch numbers and holograms of well-known brands.

The counterfeit products were allegedly sold at cheaper rates to retailers in several states, including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, earning him profits of around Rs 50,000 per month, police said. Gupta also admitted to frequently changing storage locations to evade detection, he added.

The seizure included thousands of litres of counterfeit lubricant oil packed in branded containers, hundreds of empty bottles, fake labels, caps, cartons, sealing and printing machines, colouring agents and other equipment used in the manufacturing process.

Police said the operation has prevented large-scale circulation of fake lubricant oil, which could have caused severe damage to vehicle engines and financial losses to genuine manufacturers.

Further investigation is underway to trace suppliers, transporters and other associates involved in the racket, he added. PTI SSJ HIG HIG