Fake cosmetics seized at Old Dhaka

Fake cosmetics seized at Old Dhaka

A large quantity of counterfeit cosmetics including ones with name of popular brands were seized in the capital’s Bangshal area on Wednesday.

The containers of fake cosmetics with brand names Johnson's, Sunsilk, Dove, Head & Shoulders, and Pantene were seized in a mobile court operation of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), said a press release.

Tipped-off, a BSTI team, led by executive magistrate Kaniz Fatema Liza, raided an unregistered cosmetics manufacturing firm on the third floor of 58, Banshal, near Peyalawali Mosque, said BSTI Director General SM Ferdous Alam.

"The firm was illegally manufacturing fake versions of cosmetics using brand names without any quality control," he said.

The mobile team found fake products including Sunsilk, Dove, Pantene, Head & Shoulders shampoos, Parachute Beliphool, Sesa, Noboratna, Emami 7-in-1 hair oil, Johnson's baby shampoo, baby oil and baby powder, and Vaseline hair tonic.

It also found empty bottles and counterfeit labels of the products, low-quality raw materials and hazardous chemicals used in production.

As no representative from the illegal manufacturing firm was found during the raid, the seized counterfeit products were destroyed.

The mobile court operation was conducted with the assistance of APBN-11, and BSTI field officer Tarikul Islam Suman served as the prosecutor in the mobile court.

Ferdous Alam said, "Ahead of Ramadan, market monitoring has been intensified, not just for food products but for all BSTI-regulated goods." - UNB