Four arrested for dealing in counterfeit ball bearings

The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police cracked its whip on a counterfeit ball-bearing business in the city and arrested four traders involved in the racket. The police also seized fake ball-bearings from the arrested accused.

The arrested people are Rushabh Sanghvi, Shailesh Shah, Riyasat Ali and Paramjit Singh.

According to the EOW officials, they conducted raids at shops on Nag Devi Street and Samuel Street in Pydhonie after being tipped off by informers.

The illegal ball-bearing business is estimated to run into tens of lakhs.

The four have been accused of selling duplicate ball-bearings under the Swedish brand 'SKF' illegally and were booked under the Copyright Act.

"The business was conducted after repacking cheap-quality ball bearings with the name of a reputable brand," said an EOW police officer.

Ball-bearings have widespread applications in complex machines used across all industries for a number of products including medical equipment and automobiles. Faulty ones pose a massive risk as they can lead to fatal accidents. The racket brought to light the increased vulnerability of the business.