Three held for selling duplicate Apple watches, AirPods worth Rs. 3 crores in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Three individuals were arrested on July 25, 2025, for illegally procuring and selling counterfeit Apple accessories worth approximately Rs. 3 crores. The arrests followed a raid conducted by the Commissioner’s Task Force, Central Zone Team, along with authorized copyright representatives from Apple Inc. The operation took place near Hari Mazjid, Miralam Mandi, under the jurisdiction of Mirchowk Police Station.
The accused, Mohd Shahid Ali (48), Irfan Ali (49), and Santosh Rajpurohit (39), were found involved in the sale of fake Apple products. The counterfeit items, including Apple Watches, AirPods, USB cables, adaptors, and other accessories, were being marketed under the guise of genuine Apple products.
These fake items were packaged with replicated Apple logos, MRP stickers, security seals, and outer covers, closely imitating the original Apple packaging. By misrepresenting these as authentic products, the accused caused significant financial losses to consumers and damaged the Apple brand.
Mohd Shahid Ali, a resident of Miralam Mandi in Hyderabad and originally from Uttar Pradesh, was found to be the main supplier. He had procured the counterfeit products from agents based in Mumbai and stored them at his residence. Irfan Ali, also from Uttar Pradesh and residing in L.B. Nagar, Hyderabad, purchased these fake accessories from Shahid Ali and further sold them to other individuals. Santosh Rajpurohit, the 39-year-old proprietor of PM Mobiles in Koti, Hyderabad, was involved in selling the counterfeit Apple products at his retail store.
During the raid, the police seized a large number of counterfeit Apple products, including 28 Apple Watches, 1,145 Apple AirPods, 52 Apple USB cables, 14 Apple USB adaptors, 4 Apple MagSafe power banks, 260 Apple Watch outer box covers, 480 Apple Watch SKU stickers, 428 Apple Watch MRP stickers, and 350 Apple accessories security seals. In total, 2,761 counterfeit items were seized, with a total estimated value of Rs. 3 crores.
The accused individuals were arrested and handed over to the Mirchowk Police Station for further investigation and legal action. The operation was led by the Inspector and Sub-Inspector of the Central Zone Task Force, in coordination with Apple’s authorized representatives, aiming to curb the growing menace of counterfeit products in the market.
