75,000 counterfeit sunglasses seized at Mumbai port

At least 75,000 counterfeit sunglasses of top brands were seized by the Customs department at the city port terminal.

The investigating officials said that the seized sunglasses are counterfeits of various brands including Ray Ban, Prada, and Lacoste. The seized consignment was part of a container which arrived from China last week. The officials said that the seizure was made based on specific inputs. "If sold in the open market as originals, the estimated worth of the consignment was around Rs 25 crore," the official said.

The sources said that of the total 75,000 pieces , over 73,000 fake sunglasses carried the logo of Ray Ban company. The consignment was imported by a company called Genius Trading Company.

"Initially we thought that the glasses were original, but after inspection carried out by the representatives of the respective brands, the seized items turned out to be fake," said the official. "We will now investigate how long this illegal trade has been going on," the official said, adding that part of the consignment was even slated to go to some prominent stores in the metropolis.